Amid the ongoing TSRTC strike, two cases of alleged reckless driving emerged on Wednesday, where temporary drivers running the TSRTC buses knocked down two persons to death in separate accidents.
According to reports, a woman identified as Abeeba Begum from Yellammagutta in Nizamabad was hit by a TSRTC bus at NTR Chowrasta killing her on the spot while she was crossing the road. The locals caught the bus driver and handed over him to the police.
In a complaint lodged with the One Town police, the victim’s daughter Shakeer Khan, alleged the bus was coming at a high speed and the driver failed to negotiate a curve and hit her. In another accident, a motorist Ghanshyam Solanki, a resident of Chengicherla, was run over by a TSRTC bus at Amberpet at around 6 pm while he was returning home on his two-wheeler. The victim was a retired Indian Air Force personnel. He was working as a cashier at State Bank of India.
Police told The Hindu that the driver A Murali Krishna, hit the victim’s bike from behind after he lost control of the vehicle.
Another major accident was averted in Kamareddy town, after the state-run bus proceeding towards Siddipet almost mowed down people standing next to the road. No one was injured in the accident, and the driver was handed over to the police.
As the protesting TSRTC employees have been on strike since October 5, the government has hired temporary drivers and private vehicles to accommodate the passengers. The TSRTC JAC (Joint Action Committee) had cautioned that the temporary drivers are inexperienced and could endanger themselves as well as the lives of the passengers. Aware of the huge risk involved with temporary drivers, the government has suspended services to ghat roads.
The TSRTC employees are on strike demanding the merger of TSRTC with the government along with several other demands. However, the government sacked agitating employees, paving the way for sustained protests and a statewide bandh on October 19.