Driver had perfect record, but sharp curve on unfamiliar route did him in

The express bus skidded off the road while negotiating a curve created by a railway crossing, did two somersaults and finally landed upside down. All 43 people aboard, including driver and conductor, were injured. Nine of them subsequently succumbed to injuries. Bus driver Jaman Ghusar (56) was killed while conductor Narendra Bandhiya survived.

Ujamsinh Shah, Sub-Inspector of Savarkundla Rural police, says, “On the day of the accident, Ghusar was assigned the Upleta-Mahuva route after 10 years. Unaware that conversion into broad-gauge of the railway track near Luvara had resulted in sharp curve of the road, Ghusar was apparently driving at a speed he used to when the track was meter-gauge and the road did not have that sharp curve. This miscalculation led to the accident.”

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Officers of Rajkot division of GSRTC confirmed Ghusar was not a regular on that route. “He was driving our bus on Upleta-Rajkot route. However, the driver of Upleta-Mahuva route was on leave due to a wedding in his family. Since, he earlier used to ply on that route, Ghusar offered to drive the Mahuva-bound bus. He had a long career without any mishap. But, the curve where the accident took place is very dangerous,” says Rajesh Thummar, Upleta depot manager of GSRTC.

State Transport Minister Vijay Rupani had ruled out human error and mechanical failure as the cause of the accident and called it “bad luck”. Rupani also suggested a correction in the “curve” that led to the accident.

The officer further said GSRTC drivers get a minimum nine hour rest after completing a shift at work. Ghusar had two consecutive days of rest before he set out for Mahuva at 6.15 am from Upleta,” Thummar said.

The bus was scheduled to reach Mahuva at 12 noon, but met with the accident at around 11 am. Savarkundla police have booked Ghusar under IPC Section 304 (a). But Shah says that since the accused has died, they will file “Abetted Summary,” in the case and conclude the matter in due course.

This accident, the fourth since January 21, provoked the authorities into action, and the state transport department, along with traffic police, launched a training programme for bus drivers. They had “trained” nearly 900 drivers till last week.

As part of the training, the bus drivers were warned against talking on the phone while driving. Violators would be suspended.

The reorientation session took the drivers back to basics. Regional transport department officials explained the drivers basic rules of the traffic like where the bus should be parked and how to negotiate bridges and narrow roads.

The Surat Region Divisional Controller of Traffic N M Rajyaguru said, “We have made videos from the surveillance camera grabs of accidents which show how minor human errors lead to mishaps.”

Valsad Region Divisional Controller of Traffic Y J Saiyed said, “There are six depots in Navsari, Valsad and Dang districts under my jurisdiction. We have started giving training to the bus drivers from February 14.”

The training session is of three hours wherein the experts from RTO and Traffic department give lectures with CCTV footages and vide clips of road accidents and they will explain it how such accidents could be averted. The accident happens due to minor mistakes and the driver should be more alert while driving. We have strictly intimated to all drivers in our jurisdiction that if any of them is found talking on the phone while driving, he would be suspended on the spot and strict action would be against him.”