Hyderabad: Potholes in the city have claimed a second life in less than a week.
On Sunday, Sandhya, a 23-year-old housewife fell off a two-wheeler that her husband A. Manmadha Rao was riding at Jeedimetla, and was run over by a RTC bus. Mr Rao was trying to avoid a pothole and both fell off the two-wheeler when the incident occurred.
Mr Rao works in a private company and the couple used to stay at Suraram Colony along with their two children. They were returning home from Erragadda on Sunday evening.
The couple was on their bike on the road in front of Mylan Company in Rajiv Gandhi Nagar under Jeedimetla Police station limits. The road has several potholes and loose gravel is spread all over.
“When he was trying to avoid one of the potholes, the scooter skid and both of them fell down. Sandhya fell to the right side and Manmadha Rao fell to the left. An RTC bus from Medak depot ran over Sandhya.” sub-inspector Jeedimetla, K. Lingya said.
Sandhya succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at a private hospital on Monday, while Mr Rao escaped with minor injuries.
In a similar incident last Tuesday, an IBM employee was killed in an accident in Madhapur while trying to avoid a pothole. Sandhya’s family felt that the negligence of the GHMC was as much to blame for the accident as the driver of the RTC bus.
“Had the road been good, they would not have fallen. If the driver was slow at the spot, she would have been safe.” Sandhya’s brother-in-law A. Ganesh said.
Sandhya’s children are in a state of shock, he said.
He said that despite knowing the condition of the road, officials did not repair it. The driver did not drive the bus slowly at that particular location, Mr Ganesh said.
“They should stop blaming others and find a permanent solution to avoid such incidents, so that others do not suffer like us,” he said, adding that they would fight till the family gets justice.
Police registered a case of accidental death and detained bus driver Yadagiri for questioning. Police said that the road has been in the same condition for a year and there were a few other mishaps earlier on.
