KASARGOD: Shocked by the road accident that killed six people, including a 10-year-old girl, and injured three others, residents and social activists at Thalappady staged a novel protest on Friday by stopping all Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) buses and checking their tyres. Buses with good tyres were allowed to proceed, while those with worn-out ones were sent back to Mangaluru, with the protesters demanding that the crew return only with vehicles in better condition.
Meanwhile, the Manjeshwar police produced bus driver Nijalingapa Chelavadi before the Kasaragod District Court on Friday after arresting him on Thursday night for rash and negligent driving.
According to Thalappady residents, the cause of the accident was the worn-out tyre of the bus involved. “The tyre was so worn out that the vehicle did not stop when the driver applied the brakes. It is a matter of passenger safety,” said Zakhariya Manjeshwara of the Road Safety Action Committee, Manjeshwar.
They also alleged that KSRTC buses tend to ply on the main carriageway instead of the designated service road from Manjeshwar to Thalappady.“Drivers prefer the main carriageway because the service road is heavily congested,” Zakhariya added.
Karnataka SRTC officials, however, said it was not proper for the public and activists to stop buses for inspection, as only the police and the RTO are authorised to do so.
Still, they acknowledged the public sentiment after such a major accident and instructed their crews to cooperate, including returning buses if residents found issues with the tyres.
Officials said that while front tyres must be new, retreaded tyres could be used on rear wheels. “The issue in Thursday’s accident was not the tyre, as we conducted a thorough inspection of both the vehicle and the accident site. The bus could even be driven back to the depot without a recovery van,” said Rajesh Shetty, division controller of KSRTC, Mangaluru.