TENKASI: Four school students, a nursing student, and an elderly man were injured after the rear axle of a government bus got detached when the vehicle was in motion on the Thirumangalam-Kollam National Highway near Tenkasi on Friday.
The posterior end of the bus, which had 87 passengers onboard, landed on its belly in the middle of the NH. A video clip from the spot showed both rear tyres lying on the side, completely separated from the bus.
Several passengers suffered minor internal injuries after the bus landed with a thud. Srivilliputhur TNSTC depot branch manager Raja Guru told TNIE that the bus had RTO ‘fitness certificate’ to be operated on road.
The injured include students M Sami (15) of Idaikal, who sustained a fracture in his right lower leg and was referred to the Tenkasi District Government Headquarters Hospital, and M Kavin (18) of Shengottai, who suffered a foot laceration and was admitted to Kadayanallur Government Hospital.
Four others who were treated as outpatients were T Hariharan (15), a student from Idaikal; M Sakthivel (17), student from Oormel Alagiyan; K Banupriya (18), a nursing student from Chokkampatti; and V Muniyasamy (71) of Rajapalayam, according to a police official.
“The bus, operated by the TNSTC’s Srivilliputhur depot in Virudhunagar, was driven by 52-year-old Shankaran of Vathirairuppu. He was operating the Madurai-Courtallam service when the mishap occurred. The rear axle, including the joint tyres, detached while the bus was nearing Idaikal. Sensing an unusual vibration, the driver had slowed down the vehicle in time, averting a major tragedy,” sources said.
N Kalaivanan, General Manager of TNSTC, Madurai (Virudhunagar Region), said a team was sent to the spot to assess the condition of the bus. “The bus has been removed from the road, and repair works are under way. Our technical team will soon submit a detailed report, based on which necessary action will be initiated,” he added.
It may be noted that one woman was killed in the incident involving the breaking of a steering rod in a moving TNSTC bus in Tirunelveli.
R Radhakrishnan, general secretary of the TNSTC Workers’ Federation, blamed the Transport Department’s practice of re-modifying buses using old engines and chassis instead of purchasing new buses as the reason for frequent breakdowns.
“The Srivilliputhur bus is one of them,” he added. He further said that the transport department is allocating merely 1.96% of its total expenses for purchasing spare parts. “For the 20,508 TNSTC buses in Tamil Nadu, there should be 1,34,944 staff members, including drivers, conductors, and technicians, as per government norms. However, we are currently short of nearly 45,000 staff,” he added.
When contacted, Phanindra Reddy, Additional Chief Secretary of the Transport Department, said, “We are taking these incidents seriously. Invariably, in such cases, the persons responsible are held accountable, and strict action including suspension is taken against them. Further, the state government is also sanctioning funds of Rs 170 crore to renovate buses and take up major repair works in buses and make them road worthy.”