KURNOOL: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has concluded its detailed inquiry into the horrific bus tragedy near Chinnatekuru village in Kurnool district that claimed 20 lives, confirming that the accident was primarily caused by negligence on the part of the bus driver and violations of basic road safety norms by both the bus and motorbike riders.
NHAI Anantapur PIU Assistant Manager M Bharath Bhushan told TNIE there was no lapse by NHAI in clearing the earlier motorcycle mishap, as both incidents occurred within a 12-minute gap.
“The distance between the petrol pump and the accident spot is about three kilometres. It happened too quickly for any intervention,” he said.
He added that the inquiry report showed the bus was speeding at 120 kmph, exceeding the highway limit, and failed to avoid the motorcycle dragged several metres under it.
“A professional driver should detect even a 20 mm object on the road. This clearly shows a lack of attention,” he remarked. The report found the bike had no headlight, was driven under the influence, and the rider did not have helmet.
“Both drivers violated safety rules,” Bhushan said.