The NHAI officials would be held liable if evidence was found that they did not follow guidelines on signage for road construction.
Published Oct 18, 2022 | 4:37 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 18, 2022 | 4:44 PM
The accident in the Hassan district of that killed nine and injured 10 others. (Supplied)
Officials from the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI), which was in charge of the construction of the highway connecting Bengaluru and Shivamogga, would be made a party to the case of the ghastly accident that claimed nine lives — including those of four children — near Chaluvanahalli between Arsikere and Banavara in the early hours of Sunday, 16 October, the police in Karnataka have said.
The NHAI officials would be made liable in the case if evidence was found that they were not following guidelines, such as putting up signages of diversions from an appropriate distance to alert fast-moving vehicle drivers before the diversion — due to road construction — started.
And it all began when a tempo traveller — with 14 people on board — got stuck between a milk tanker and a KSRTC bus early on Sunday, killing nine people from the same family.
The accident also caused injuries to 10 others who were passengers of the Bengaluru-to-Shivamogga KSRTC bus.
The deceased have been identified as Leelavathi R, (58), Chaitra S (33), and her two children Samarth S (10) and Dimpi S (12), and two other children Thanmai S (10), Druva S (two), Vandana G (20), and Doddaiah P (60) and his wife Bharathi D (50).
The Hassan accident involved three vehicles: a tempo traveller, a KSRTC bus, and a KMF milk tanker. (Supplied)
The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) milk tanker driver Naveen (28), who has been named the prime accused in the case, said in his statement to the police that he was following a bus and a car, and that was how he got into the wrong direction of a four-lane highway, which caused the accident.
“Naveen was not driving under the influence of any substance, as the KMF has its own terms and conditions for their drivers,” said a senior officer from Banavara Police Station.
“As of now, we have registered a case under Sections 304-A (accidental deaths due to rash and negligent driving) and 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the IPC,” said the officer.
“However, if in our investigation we find any violation by NHAI officials or their engineers over putting up appropriate signages and speed rumblers according to the guidelines put forth by the authority and the Indian Road Congress, we would make them party to the case as well,” he added.
According to the police, the passengers in the tempo traveller had gone on a pilgrimage tour to Dharmasthala and Kukke Subramanya temple, and were returning to Arsikere, their hometown, when the accident occurred.
Upon preliminary inquiries, the cops learnt that the accident occurred because the milk tanker driver did not heed the diversion road sign and went in the wrong direction on the four-lane highway connecting Bengaluru and Shivamogga.
The milk tanker is said to have collided with the tempo traveller with full impact, after which it collided with the KSRTC bus before coming to a halt.
The driver of the milk tanker fled the spot fearing mob fury.
9 TT passengers including 4kids&4women KILLED-10injured-2critical in ghastly accident on Arsikere-Banavara Rd Hassan, wee hours Sunday. Victims were coming back from Dharmasthala&KukkeSubramanya. KMF tanker caused accident colliding with TT&KSRTC bus @TheSouthfirst @anusharavi10 pic.twitter.com/GekpK7boz2
— Bellie Thomas (@belliethomas) October 16, 2022
The KSRTC driver, in his statement, told the cops that he controlled the bus to reduce the impact of the accident, but passengers seated in the front could not escape injuries, he said.
The Banavara police rushed to the spot and, with the help of Fire and Emergency Services, extricated the bodies from the mangled tempo traveller.
Several passengers and commuters helped shift the injured to the hospital.
The injured 10 were shifted to the Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences. Two of them were sad to be in critical condition, and two injured were treated at the Arsikere Government Hospital.
Local MLA KM Shivalinge Gowda visited the houses of the deceased and injured and consoled them.
Meanwhile, district in-charge minister and the Kerala Excise Minister K Gopalaiah said he would convene a meeting with NHAI officials and check if they followed all the road-construction guidelines on the high-speed highway. “Errant officials will be taken to task,” Gopalaiah said on Sunday.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced a solatium of ₹2 lakh to the families of the nine people who died in the accident.
