Dangerous Drive

Despite a sharp increase in the number of bus accidents, there is little official inclination to come out with a safety plan

By A CORRESSPONDENT

A bus with more than 60 passengers onboard veered off the Prithvi Highway and plunged into the Trishuli River at Charaudi, 90 km west of Kathmandu. On its way to Sarlahi in eastern Nepal, the vehicle collided with another bus traveling to Kathmandu before falling into the river 150 meters below. Eleven passengers were killed and 35 were injured.

Less than 24 hours later, another bus fell into a river at Falate village of Gulmi district, 300 km west of Kathmandu, killing 13 passengers and injuring 30 others. The bus was on its way to Tamghas of Gulmi district.

Two weeks ago, 49 people died and 14 others were injured when a bus heading to Dhangadhi from Pokhara plunged into the Trishuli River near Mugling, 125 km west of Kathmandu.

Over the last three weeks, more than 73 passengers were killed and 75 injured ó two dozen seriously ó in three major bus accidents. The common feature in all three accidents was the failure of the drivers to take proper account of speed, road condition and load.

According to injured passengers being treated at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and Bir Hospital, the Siraha-bound ill-fated bus was traveling at such a high speed that the driver could not turn his steering in time to avoid hitting the bus coming from opposite direction.

Deuba (left) with Koirala : Unity for destabilization ?

The accident site was very close from the barracks of the armed police and another police post. But there was no checkpoint to monitor the speed of the bus. "When the bus moved from the last security checkpoint at Benighat, the speed was unusually high," said Dhadhi Ram Subedi, a passenger who was discharged following primary treatment at Bir Hospital. "Some passengers asked the driver to slow down, but he simply ignored them."

The bus accident in Gulmi was caused by overload and technical problems. According to reports, the vehicle failed to generate power to move up the hill and fell into the river. In all three cases, the vehicles were either technically unfit or were being run by inexperienced drivers.

Following the upsurge in the Maoist insurgency, police have abandoned checkposts in many areas. "There is virtual anarchy on the road. The local people, drivers and armed robbers can do anything at any point," said a transport entrepreneur.

Despite the deaths of six dozen innocent passengers in a span of three weeks, government ministers and officials have failed to come out with a safety plan. At a time when the country's major political forces are busy putting across their points of view on amending the constitution and other issues, parliament did not see the need to offer condolences.

"It seems the ruling and main opposition parties do not care about the people. When the Indian and western governments offered condolences after the deaths of security personnel at Achham, Nepalese MPs completely ignored their sacrifices," said a political observer.

As road travel becomes more dangerous and fatalities continue to grow, the government must come out with a coherent plan to prevent such tragedies. Experts need to introduce a system to monitor the speed, technical viability of the vehicles and efficiency of the drivers, among other things. The government should also study road conditions and take proper remedial action.