By IANS
New Delhi : Delhi’s reckless Blueline buses claimed more innocent victims when two people were killed and one injured in separate incidents in west Delhi Friday.
With the latest casualties, the toll due to accidents involving Blueline buses has reached 88 this year alone.
Vikram, 28, was crushed under the rear wheels of a Blueline bus on route 817 between Najafgarh and Inderlok, while he was getting off the bus.
The accident took place in Moti Nagar at around 11.00 a.m.
Police said the victim, a resident of Jahangirpuri in northwest Delhi, died on the spot, while the driver managed to escape.
“We have registered a case of negligence and have impounded the bus,” a police official said.
In another incident, a 27-year-old motorcycle rider was crushed to death Friday afternoon under the wheels of a Blueline bus on route 114 between Old Delhi and Qutub Garh.
The mishap took place at around 4.00 p.m. when the speeding bus hit the motorcycle from behind in Tilak Nagar, west Delhi. The bus then reportedly ran over the motorcyclist.
Police said the victim, Nanak Chand, a resident of Sultanpuri in northwest Delhi, was taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
“We have arrested Buta Singh, the driver of the bus, and a case has been registered,” said a senior police official.
In the third incident Friday, a 35-year-old pedestrian was injured when a Blueline bus knocked him down while he was crossing a road in Janakpuri, west Delhi.
According to the police, Rajiv Chaudhry sustained serious injuries after a Blueline bus on route 720 – plying between Janakpuri and Shahdara — hit him at around 4.30 p.m.
In a recent interview with IANS, Delhi Police chief Y.S. Dadwal had said taming errant Blueline buses was not his “priority”.
“We can’t monitor every single Blueline bus plying on Delhi’s roads. Over five million vehicles travel in the capital daily, and we have other important traffic related priorities to look after. Managing the vehicular flow and prosecuting law offenders is more important,” Dadwal had said.
The capital has over 4,000 Blueline buses, which form a crucial part of the city’s public transport system. Known as the “killer fleet”, these privately-owned claimed over 100 lives last year.