rkg, I think it has been taken very emotionally. Please read my post once again. I have not or do not intend to place the blame on either HAL employees or the BMTC drivers. But let me point out there exists a dangerous bug in the system which involve both these and many more factors.
Let me list them out with carriage returns for better readablity.
1. The engineering of the road. Who do you blame? I know the flaw at this location so do many who use this road everyday. I do take every care. I ride a bike as well as drive a car, and take a cab or a rick. Yet neither I or any one who take this road is not void of falling victim of this bad engineering. This accident is just one such incedent. I practically saw the accident spot and the burnt bus. This was what I could infer. Had it been any other vehicle (as I mentioned in the earlier post also) would have met with the same fate.
Imagine yourself driving a 16 tonner, and a rick suddenly cuts your lane because he ran out of his lane. You have no option but to veer right to avoid the rick, I bet you will not even think twice, but then what you see is yourself in the middle of the opposite lane. bumping into oncoming traffic. Now you are out of control, it does not matter now whether you hit the bike or bike hit you. collision bound to happen.
Add to this there is no signage that the road merges, not even centre line marking on the 2 lane road.
2. HAL market. These market phenomenon as you mentioned are age old. When there we not much traffic, not many one ways, economy was weak, traffic moved very slow, but Do we need them NOW? Is it necessary to have a market in the middle of busy road at the cost of traffic snarl, at the cost of road tax payers?. (let me make it clear, this is not the cause of the accident but contributed to large toll). Why are we reluctant to change for the better? Why are the road users expected to oblige an unruly market in the middle of the road?
3. Mob frenzy. Beats me. There is an accident, even if it is due to negligent driving, what is the need o the moment? medical aid Period. This is completely inhuman and I can not find a much cruel word , to describe setting the bus on fire, and blocking Ambulance and fire truck to the scene. Was there a media interview of the one who set the fire anytime. I feel there should be one and should be asked in public why he did so.
I also remember an other incedent, when there was an accident in ORR there was similar situation set the truck involved in accident was set on fire and the mob went on rampage. Mob also noticed a press photographer at the scen and beat him up and destroyed the camera fearing that footage will be used as evidence to book the people involved. This clearly indicated that they know what they are doing is criminal but resort to it because they know they can get away with it citing it as mob fury. |