Karimnagar: Finance and civil supplies minister Etela Rajender sustained injuries on his head and fractured his leg when his car overturned, 12 km from Karimnagar on Saturday, after hitting a lorry.
The accident occu-rred when the driver of the vehicle was attempting to overtake the lorry at Eedulaguttapalli in Manakondur mandal. The minister’s personal assistants Mukunda Reddy and Chandramouli, gunman Mohd. Rafiq, and driver Venkatesh were also injured.
Manakondur police said that the bullet-proof Toyota Fortu-ner, in which Mr Rajender was travelling, rolled over at least twice after it hit the lorry. The safety features in the vehicle saved the passengers, sources said.
Mr Rajender was shifted to a private hospital. “The minister’s condition is stable. Various investigations were done. His blood pressure is normal,” said a doctor. On learning of the accident, Chief Minister K. Chandr-asekhar Rao spoke with Mr Rajender and suggested that he come to Hyderabad for better treatment.
The minister was to launch a vaccination programme after flagging off to a RTC bus and inaugurating a football competition in Huzurabad town.
Sources said that the vehicle travelling at 100 kmph when the accident occurred. A few weeks back, the minister’s car had rammed into a lorry after its driver lost control near Metpalli village in Shankarapatnam mandal. Mr Rajender was not travelling in the vehicle at that time. Before that, his car was involved in an accident between Kamalapur and Challur in Vena-vanka in 2005.
Karimnagar MP B. Vinod Kumar, Government Whip K. Eshwar, ZP chairperson Tula Uma, legislators Gangula Kamalakar, Ras-amayi Balakishan, V. Sathish Kumar, D. Manohar Reddy, visited the hospital. A large number of TRS activists flocked the hospital on hearing the news.
