CUTTACK: Two days after the tragic mishap in Deogarh which claimed 27 lives and left several others injured, the Regional Transport Officer, Cuttack has filed a police complaint against the owner of the ill-fated bus Tapan Kumar Mohanty for operating the vehicle commercially without valid documents.
In the complaint, RTO Dipti Ranjan Patra said the bus did not have a valid fitness certificate, insurance and permit to operate in the State. Mohanty, being the owner of the vehicle, should have ensured to obtain the mandatory documents, but he wilfully allowed the driver to carry passengers in the ill-fated vehicle, the complaint stated.
However, IIC of Lalbag police station Debadatta Baral wrote back to the RTO stating that since the accident did not occur within Lalbag police limits, the complaint should be lodged in the police station under whose jurisdiction the incident took place or the owner’s residence is situated.
While Deogarh SP was informed about the credentials of the vehicle on Monday, Patra said, “We would now write to Deogarh Town police and Kandarpur police to register a case in this connection.”
Sources said Mohanty had sold the vehicle (a Tata 909 model) bearing registration number OR05 AB 9535 to a Bargarh-based businessman in March, 2013 through a sale deed.