In the absence of proper regulations on long-distance sleeper luxury buses, they have turned into coffins on the move as several such accidents have been reported in recent months. In the last year, there have been more than 150 deaths, which have been reported involving such buses.
Officials in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) claim that in the absence of proper guidelines, this unorganised sector of long-haul sleeper buses is operating without quality control or safety. In the last fortnight, three major sleeper bus accidents have been reported, killing 50 people, including that in Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh on October 24.
A few days ago, on October 14, a similar accident was reported from near Jaisalmer, in Rajasthan, killing 22 passengers, and most recently similar accident was reported on the Agra-Lucknow expressway. People involved in the travel business said sleeper buses are designed taller, to fit double-decker bunks and more luggage, which affects the centre of gravity, jeopardising lives on every trip they make. China has already banned double-decker sleeper buses due to the risks.
Nonetheless, there is no enforcement agency or any law to verify whether the drivers of the wheels are drunk, which is reportedly the cause for more than 80 per cent of total accidental issues killing several passengers. Two days after 20 people were killed in a bus fire in Kurnool, Hyderabad police commissioner VS Sajjanar, on Sunday, in a terse message, said that “drunk drivers are terrorists.” He also gave a stern warning that no leniency would be accorded to them for such “acts of terror.”
The top cop’s message came after a Hyderabad-Bengaluru private sleeper bus hit a motorcycle. The bike driver was drunk and the officer said he caused the accident. He also said such actions were nothing short of “acts of terror” on the roads and called the incident a “criminal act of negligence”.
“Drunk drivers are terrorists. Period. Drunk drivers are terrorists and their actions are nothing short of acts of terror on our roads. The horrific Kurnool bus accident, which claimed the lives of 20 innocent people, was not an accident in the truest sense. It was a preventable massacre, caused by the reckless and irresponsible behaviour of an intoxicated biker. This was not a road mishap but a criminal act of negligence that annihilated entire families within seconds,” he wrote in a long social media post.
“Regular safety audits for such buses, ensuring use of fire-proof materials by law, and heavy penalty on unauthorised modifications are required, bans on overcrowding.
Rules must mandate easily breakable windows and better emergency exits, wider aisles, and mandatory installation of fire detection and fighting systems,” said the MoRTH official.
