HYDERABAD: CID officials, in the charge-sheet filed in the case of the bus blaze in Mahbubnagar district in October last year which claimed 45 lives, pointed out that the bus manufacturers, Volvo Buses India Ltd; the bus owners, Diwakar Road Lines; and the bus operator, Jabbar Travels, have all contributed to the accident in one way or the other.
After probing the case, the CID has filed charge sheet before the court in Mahabubnagar district naming ten accused including former minister JC Diwakar Reddy’s wife in connection with the case. A detailed report consolidated by the technical experts containing 400 pages is being sent to the central government authorities concerned to frame preventive measures to avoid such type of ghastly road accidents.
Additional DGP (CID) T Krishna Prasad said bus was designed in such a way that its main fuel tank of 300 litres capacity is very close to the battery compartment. The sparks from the battery compartment ignited the fuel in the main fuel tank. The main fuel tank is located between the front two tyres. There are two auxiliary fuel tanks of 150 litres each and are located exactly behind the front two tyres.
Within a few minutes, the main fuel tank and the two auxiliary tanks caught fire. The iron pipe that was on top of the culvert railing broke and got pierced into the main fuel tank. The other end of the iron pipe pierced through the floor of the bus. Thus, one end of the pipe got immersed in the main fuel tank and the other end opened up into the bus through the floor. This pipe acted like a capillary and spilled the fuel into the bus. The tanks were made up of hard bold plastic, the floor of the bus was not steel but of plywood material and rubber matting.
Most of the interiors of the Volvo bus were of PVC material and vinyl mats which are highly inflammatory substances. The emergency exit doors were blocked by passenger seats in violation of CMV rules. While the permitted number of seats is 43+1+1, the owner and the operator added five more with an eye on more revenue. The rear/last sofa, which is meant for the second driver to sleep, was converted into additional seats.
ROAD FLAW: The CID police have found violations of road engineering too. The culvert parapet wall encroached into the alignment of the two-lane carriageway (leading to Hyderabad) and created unwarranted obstruction in the high-speed first lane. There is every possibility that this defect in the highway alignment might have contributed to the collision of the right side of the bus with the right-side parapet of the culvert.
The iron pipe erected on the top of the culvert as a railing on NH-4 broke and pierced into the main fuel tank. The other end of the iron pipe pierced through the floor of the bus. thus one end of the pipe got immersed in the main fuel tank and the other end opened up into the bus through the floor. This pipe acted like a capillary and spilled the fuel into the bus. Thus the NHAI and their contractors shall change the culvert design without iron pipes.
The Volvo bus mishap occurred on NH 44 near Palem Village in Mahbubnagar district on October 30, 2013. A Volvo bus (AP02-TA-0963) of Jabbar Travels, Bangalore driven by Fairoz Basha in a rash and negligent manner rammed Culvert No. 129/1 located in the median near Palem. The bus was coming from Bangalore to Hyderabad. In the ghastly road accident, 19 software engineers, three disabled members belonging to one family, a 2-year-old child and a pregnant woman died.
No Faulty Design, Clarifies Volvo
The Volvo bus company said in a statement that the accident caused at Mahbubnagar was not the result of a faulty bus design. The company has fully cooperated with CID officials and has submitted evidence and technical data that evidence Volvo’s full compliance with all stipulated regulations. The products are fully approved under the relevant regulations in India and Volvo buses not only meet but also often exceed regulatory guidelines, says a press release issued by the company.