Bengaluru: Following the bus accident near Pandavapura in Mandya taluk in which 30 passengers were killed, RTO officials said the vehicle had valid documents and that negligence of the driver may have caused the tragedy. The bus was transferred from Mangaluru RTO division to Mandya RTO division after receiving a clearance certificate on April 1, 2015.
According to the Mandya RTO office, Srinivas, a resident of Bandigowda Layout, was the current owner of the bus. The bus was originally registered on June 1, 2001, in the Mangaluru RTO division and had operated in the coastal city for 14 years before it started operating between Mandya and Pandavapura three years ago.
The vehicle owner had the fitness certificate of the vehicle valid till May 15, 2019, and had paid taxes for the month of November. The bus was also insured till May 15, 2019. RTO officials said the bus had all valid documents and they suspected that negligence of the driver led to the bus falling into a canal.
In response to a question, the RTO official under the condition of anonymity said though the date of registration of the vehicle was 18 years ago, the owners of the vehicle had annually renewed the fitness certificate of the bus.
After the bus was transferred from Mangaluru, the owner had entered into a lease agreement with another party for the permit to operate on the route. "The permit was renewed on a five-year basis and was still valid for the route," he said.