BENGALURU: The old Airport traffic police on Friday seized a BMTC bus and arrested the driver for recklessly abandoning the bus for 15 minutes near Thulasi Theatre in Marathahalli, causing a traffic jam during peak hours.
According to officials, the bus belongs to Koramangala bus depot and the arrested driver has been identified as Perumal. Traffic police officials said the bus, which was abandoned on the road, was causing severe traffic congestion in the area during morning peak hour.
BMTC officials said that a complaint has been registered against the driver. “We will take action based on the investigation,” an official said.In a second instance later in the afternoon, traffic police seized another BMTC bus parked near Manipal Hospital. A police official told Express: “The bus had broken down around 1.30 pm and no one was informed about it. Hours later traffic started piling up and it was obstructing the CM’s convoy as well. Higher officials were immediately alerted. It’s a Volvo bus and towing is also not possible. We got to know that the bus was hired by a multinational company.”
On Thursday, a case was booked against another BMTC bus for obstructing traffic on Marathahalli bridge. Police officials said they have launched a crackdown on buses that hamper smooth movement of traffic. “Many buses halt in the middle of the roads and causes severe traffic congestion and also accidents,” the official added.
In August this year, the city traffic police identified 12 locations as high density traffic areas in the city and asked police officials to ensure smooth vehicular movement in these areas.