Racing buses, road hazard, no helmets claim 11-year-old in Salt Lake
Times of India | 13 November 2024
Kolkata: The private bus on route 215A, which hit 11-year-old Ayush Paik on Tuesday, killing him on his way back from school while racing with another bus on the same route, has 58 cases of traffic violations pending against it since Nov 2022, according to police. Both the racing buses are owned by the same person.
The driver of the killer bus, Krishnendu Das, was booked with culpable homicide not amounting to murder following a written complaint by the child's father. If found guilty, he can be jailed for life or face imprisonment for not less than five years, which may extend to 10 years, and a fine.
Cops said the driver is a repeat offender and the bus with registration number WB11E0668 has at least four more compound cases against it. While there is at least one case of dangerous driving, a majority of the other cases against the bus are for violating traffic signals and switching lanes, an officer of Bidhannagar City Police said. The other bus (WB25C7501) has 60 pending cases in the last two years.
On Tuesday, Ayush was returning home from the school riding pillion with his mother and a two-year-old cousin when the woman lost control of the scooterette on an uneven patch of road. She veered right when the Ultadanga-bound bus (Salt Lake to Howrah), while racing with another bus on the same route, hit the boy's head. The incident highlights the plight of thousands of Kolkatans who commute by bus and ride on the road at the risk of getting hit by speeding vehicles while they race against one another.
Sanjay Singh, the owner of both the buses, admitted that there were several traffic violation cases pending against his vehicles but claimed he pays off the dues from time to time. Singh's family runs 12 buses on various routes.
"When you operate a bus service, traffic infractions are inevitable. The majority of violations involve disregarding traffic signals. I do tell my drivers not to race and drive safely, but you know how the industry works, and drivers are often difficult to control. This particular driver is very experienced and has been driving for almost 35 years. But I have heard that the scooterette rider was also at fault. She lost balance and the child was also not wearing a helmet. It is unfair to blame the accident entirely on the driver," said Singh.
Cops claimed there was no rule that empowers them to stop vehicles from plying on the road even if there are multiple cases against them. Cops have the authority to levy immediate penalties when they pull up a vehicle breaching traffic regulations. When a driver refuses to settle the penalty, officers confiscate their driving licence and retain it at the traffic guard until payment is made. In instances where violations are captured by surveillance cameras or when officers record the registration number, electronic challans are dispatched to the mobile number registered against the vehicle.
"Many bus owners deliberately don't pay fine amounts regularly. Only after a hefty fine is compiled, they approach the traffic department through Lok Adalat, seeking redress and rebates," said a senior traffic sergeant, adding that there are hundreds of buses with traffic fines that run into thousands.
Traffic violation records provide insights into how vehicles are driven and their movement patterns and speak volumes about how unsafe the city roads are for pedestrians and motorists. For passenger buses, since drivers are assigned by the bus syndicate, the violations could be attributed to multiple drivers rather than a single operator, said the officer.