Police will verify the vehicle’s documents and examine whether he had any role in the mishap. “He was probably seated beside the driver
HYDERABAD: A day after the horrific collision on National Highway 163 near Mirjaguda in Chevella claimed 19 lives, police lodged a case against lorry driver Akash Kamble, who died in the accident, and will focus their investigation on vehicle owner V. Laxman.
Laxman was seated beside Kamble at the time of the accident and was injured.
Police will verify the vehicle’s documents and examine whether he had any role in the mishap. “He was probably seated beside the driver. He too suffered injuries but is now stable. We will begin an inquiry once he recovers,” said Chevella inspector M. Bhoopal Sridhar.
The gravel-laden tipper, travelling from Tandur towards Hyderabad, collided head-on with the RTC bus carrying about 70 passengers in the early hours of November 3. The crash tore the right side of the bus, and tonnes of gravel from the lorry poured on the vehicle, trapping many passengers inside.
DGP B. Shivadhar Reddy visited the accident site on Tuesday, accompanied by Cyberabad police commissioner Avinash Mohanty and Chevella ACP B. Kishan. “We are awaiting reports from the RTO, forensics and road safety departments. If there are irregularities in the bus fitness certification or in the gravel transport, charges will be filed against those responsible,” Chevella ACP told Deccan Chronicle.
Vikarabad MLA Gaddam Prasad Kumar handed over `1 lakh to the family of Tarabai, a resident of Vikarabad who died in the crash. This is in addition to the `7 lakh ex gratia announced by the state and central governments.
Speaking about the investigation with the media, DGP Shivadhar Reddy said, “The tipper driver tried to avoid a small pothole and swerved to the right, colliding with the bus coming from the opposite direction. The mechanical condition of the vehicle is also being verified.” Poor road conditions and the absence of a divider on the narrow two-lane highway were cited as contributing factors.
He said most accidents stem from drivers’ overconfidence. “People believe they can control the vehicle in any situation. That confidence is not right. Life, once lost, cannot be regained. Even driving faster saves hardly four minutes. So why risk it?” he said, adding that the police will launch a road safety awareness drive next month.
Rescue operations lasted nearly three hours as excavators were deployed to clear the debris and pull out victims. Bodies were shifted in goods vehicles after ambulances transported the injured to nearby hospitals.
The government announced ex gratia to the families of the deceased and ordered a joint inquiry involving the transport, revenue and police departments. Officials said they would also examine whether both vehicles complied with legal limits for passenger capacity and load.
