Barabanki (UP): The Assistant Divisional Transport Officer (ADTO), Barabanki, has filed cases against the vehicle owners, drivers and toll officials in connection with the road mishap wherein 19 people were killed and 16 others injured. Two FIRs have been lodged against the truck owner, bus driver, truck driver, including toll plaza personnel and NHAI. A double-decker bus was hit from behind by a speeding truck on the Lucknow-Ayodhya National Highway under Ram Sanehi Ghat police station limits in the district on Wednesday. The bus was on its way from Haryana to Bihar.
Usually, labourers from Sitamarhi, Madhopura, Supaul, Saharsa and Sheohar in Bihar state, go to the Punjab and Haryana provinces to plant paddy on daily wages every year in the month of June. Around 140 labourers were in the ill-fated vehicle at the time of the incident. The bus was passing through the Kalyani river bridge on the Ayodhya border when the axle of the bus broke down at around 1AM in the night. The driver and operator were getting the bus repaired by parking the vehicle on the road side. Some passengers were standing outside the bus while others were sitting inside at the time, when a speeding truck coming from behind rammed the bus at great speed. The impact of the collision was so strong that most of the people in the bus died instantaneously.
Read: 18 killed as bus and truck collide in UP's Barabanki
The ADTO has said that there was a four and a half hours of time, right from when the axle had broke down and when the mishap took place, but during this time none of the toll plaza employees had patrolled the stretch. "Had it been taken seriously by the toll workers and patrolling carried out, the accident could have been prevented," the ADTO said, adding that even the NHAI should be held responsible.
In this case, a case has been registered against both the vehicle owners, unknown drivers and the concerned toll plaza personnel at Ram Sanehi Ghat police station on the complaint of Assistant Divisional Transport Officer Enforcement Rahul Srivastava.
Prime Minister Modi had announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each from PMNRF for the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the tragic accident and Rs 50,000 to each of those who were injured.
