VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has constituted a three-member committee to ascertain the cause behind the bus accident that took place on Wednesday near Jangareddygudem in West Godavari district.
In a press release issued here on Thursday, RTC chairman A Mallikarjuna Reddy expressed grief over the death of the passengers and the driver in the mishap. Ten people have been killed so far in the mishap.
Mallikarjun Reddy assured the media that proper treatment was being given to those injured. The three-member committee will comprise regional manager, deputy chief mechanical engineer and deputy chief traffic manager of APSRTC. They will identify the facts behind the accident and submit a report soon.
Expressing concern over the frequent accidents involving RTC buses, the chairman said APSRTC is prepared to take strict measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
“The authorities have directed the officials to provide better training to drivers and conduct surprise inspections to ensure timely maintenance of buses. Steps should be taken to replace old buses,” he said.
Mallikarjun Reddy said Rs 9.5 lakh ex-gratia, which includes Rs 5 lakh announced by the State government, Rs 2 lakh by the Centre and another Rs 2.5 lakh by the APSRTC, would be given to the bereaved families in the accident at Jangareddygudem. He further thanked the Chief Minister for announcing the ex-gratia aid.
"Several rumours are being spread regarding the bus accident. There is no truth in the allegation that the accident happened due to improper steering. The bus was purchased in 2019 and it had no technical defects. We are investigating the matter from all possible angles. There is no point in using buses that are not in a good condition under any circumstances. The driver's track record is also clean. The three-member panel will also investigate if the driver was unwell and whether that in any way led to the accident," he said.