THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two KSRTC-Swift buses were involved in minor mishaps within 24 hours of the long distance service’s launch on Monday. None of the passengers were hurt. Sabotage has not been ruled out.
The first incident took place when the bus that was part of the inaugural fleet flagged off by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had barely left the capital. A lorry hit the Kozhikode-bound non-AC sleeper bus at Kallambalam, damaging its side mirror. It resumed journey after the mirror was fixed at a local workshop. The second accident took place in Malappuram when a private bus scraped the Kozhikode-Thiruvananthapuram bus.
Though none was injured, the authorities suspect attempts to sabotage the service, which had met with stiff opposition within and outside the transport corporation. “It is suspected that the accidents were deliberate. The role of private bus lobby will be investigated and strict action taken,” said Transport Minister Antony Raju. KSRTC chairman and MD Biju Prabhakar will file a complaint with the state police chief. KSRTC, which appointed driver-cum-conductors specially trained for operating long distance services for operating Swift buses.
A senior officer dismissed allegations that the Swift crew members were poorly trained. “We recruited them after careful evaluation. Many crew members have sufficient experience of operating long distance services in KSRTC. It is concerning that we are getting negative publicity over such accidents,” said officer.
KSRTC-Swift was launched as a new transport company to operate long-distance services of the state-run carrier. It had a new branding and the employees were given new uniform and professional training to attract public attention.