KOTTAYAM: The private buses are turning killers in the district mowing down the people recklessly. Several persons have lost their lives in the accidents caused by speeding and rash driving in the recent past, but the authorities are yet to crack down on the erring drivers. More women and children are falling victims to the rampage by the buses. Bincy Jose, 23, of Kurishummoodu near Changanassery, was knocked down by a private bus when she got down from it at Munthirikavala stop on December 3.
Though she was rushed to a nearby hospital she succumbed to her injuries. A sixth standard girl student was killed at the Nagampadom private stand here when a bus rammed her on December 5. Lissy Daniel, 38, of Thiruvalla, died when a bus crashed into the waiting shed of the Perunna private bus stand at Changanassery on April 28 this year. Reshmi of Puthanpally, near here, lost her life when a bus which was descending the slope at the private bus stand of the Kottayam medical college hospital lost control and crushed her on June 25, 2013.
The police and the RTO authorities claim that they take action, including cancelling the licences of the drivers, to control such accidents. But experts say that these are not enough. “The buses should be prevented from speeding in bus stands and heavy penalty should be imposed on drivers instead of the bus owners. The guilty should be jailed for a few days,” said social activist Dijo Kappen.
