As others celebrate, Jagtial mourns in silence

There are no festivities or revelry this time for Ganesh Chavithi in Jagtial district. On Wednesday, bodies of those who died in the Kondagattu bus accident started arriving home.
Ex-Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya visits Sunshine Hospital to meet patients on Wednesday | EXPRESS
Ex-Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya visits Sunshine Hospital to meet patients on Wednesday | EXPRESS

SHANIVARAMPET: There are no festivities or revelry this time for Ganesh Chavithi in Jagtial district. On Wednesday, bodies of those who died in the Kondagattu bus accident started arriving home. There were at least four deceased from each of the villages like Ramsagar, Himmathraopet, Dabbu Thimmaiahpalli, Thirumalapur and Thimmaiahpalli. The scene was grim in Shanivarampet. There was a massive space crunch at the Jagtial area hospital following which the bodies have been brought home. Now, there is a shortage of freezer boxes in these parts. Wrapped in sheets and covered with husk, 15 bodies were seen placed on ice blocks outside their houses.

Four-year-old Gajula Harsha, who died in the accident, was seen being carried on the shoulder by her grandfather for her last rites. The little girl and her mother had boarded the bus just 15 minutes before the accident. Her mother survived with fractures to both her legs.

Her father is in Dubai, seeking job opportunities.  Dabbu Thimmaiahpalli village held four funerals on Wednesday — two couples Vodnala Lakshamavva (48) and Krishna (55); Golkonda Lachavva (51) and Devaiah (63) . Narender, Revenue Divisional Officer of Jagtial told Express that revenue officials and police authorities supervised final rights of deceased persons.

Vehicular traffic cordoned off
A day after the accident, police have prohibited vehicular traffic on the Kondagattu ghat road. Karimnagar - Jagtial highway from Kondagattu stage has been cordoned off. Devotees have to walk down after doing Hanuman darshan. Even though the accident occurred at the fag end of the ghat road on Tuesday, it was found that nearly 1 km stretch of 1.2 km ghat road, did not have protection wall towards gorge.

TSRTC meeting on Kondagattu
Hyderabad: In the backdrop of the death toll increasing from 57 people to 61, Principal Secretary of Transport Department and TSRTC Managing Director, Sunil Sharma directed RTC officials to identify an alternate routes to Kondagattu in coordination with other concerned departments. The direction was issued in a review meeting with all Regional Managers of the TSRTC that was held at Bus Bhavan in Hyderabad.

Cong, TDP, CPI leaders meet victims
Karimnagar: Ahead of the proposed grand alliance of Congress, TDP and CPI, their leaders including TTDP president L Ramana, Peddi Reddy, former Congress Rajya Sabha member V Hanumantha Rao, Ponnam Prabhakar, CPI district secretary K Ramgopal Reddy and other leaders visited the accident site on the Kondagattu ghat road on Wednesday. Later they also visited the victims’ and offered condolences to the kin of the deceased.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com