By IANS
New Delhi : A school student, a vegetable vendor, a cyclist, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper are all part of the same horrible statistic — they were among the 100 people already killed by the privately operated Blueline buses of the national capital this year, despite repeated assurances from the government and owners that the ‘killers’ are being reined in.
On Saturday, a class four student was crushed under the wheels of a Blueline bus in Badarpur area of south Delhi. The incident took the Bluelines’ fatal accident toll to 100.
Tushar died on the spot when the bus plying on Route No 460 between Badarpur and Minto Road ran over a motorcycle on which he was travelling along with two others including his nine-year old cousin Neha.
The incident occurred at around 2.25 p.m. when the victim was returning to his south Delhi home from school. Neha and the rider Ajay, neighbour of the children, was injured.
“While Tushar died on the spot, two others — a minor girl and Ajay, who was riding the bike — have suffered injuries,” said N.S. Bundela, additional deputy commissioner of police (South Delhi).
“The driver and the conductor are still absconding but we are hopeful of arresting them soon. The bus has been impounded,” Bundela told IANS.
What is more shocking is despite intervention by the Delhi High Court, a much-hyped police crackdown, and repeated assurances from the state government, the bloodbath on the roads continues.
Earlier this month, the high court asked the state government to give details of who actually owned these buses and asked it to submit a phase-out plan for the fleet within four weeks (by Nov 15).
The state government agreed and said that they were making all efforts to curb the growing menace.
However, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said she should not be pressurised on the Blueline buses. “We are doing our best. Please don’t pressurise me,” she said, adding that the people and not the buses were the real culprits.
Citizens and victims’ families have said they have no faith in the government or the police department as far as the Blueline menace is concerned.
“What is happening in this city? People are dying one after another but the state government seems unperturbed by these developments,” asked Sanjay Kaul, president of a group of resident welfare associations in the city.
The Blueline victims’ families too have formed an association to fight for their cause.
Rajiv Verma, 35, who was badly injured two years ago when he came under the wheels of a Blueline marauder, told IANS: “I lost one hand and a leg in the accident two years back and am still fighting the case in court for compensation.
“It is also very disheartening that the driver who permanently paralysed me was released by the court on bail next day. No one is bothered about who is being killed under these buses,” said Verma, a member of the victims’ association.
Frustrated at the local government’s inaction against the rogue Blueline buses, around 40 victims of Blueline buses along with members of resident welfare associations (RWA) protested at the Lieutenant Governor’s house Saturday to seek the his intervention on what they termed a systemic failure of the government to rein the buses in and do something about the transport mess in the city.
“We had petitioned the LG in August seeking his intervention in the situation because we could see that the chief minister was neither interested nor capable of solving the problem. The LG’s office offered us a terse line asking us to refer the matter back to the Delhi Government. Today, two months and 20 deaths later, we want to know what action he intends to take now,” said Rohit Sethi, a retired army officer and member of a RWA in west Delhi.
Though Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Tejinder Khanna had roped in 80 Indian Air Force (IAF) officials and 20 navy officials to supervise the traffic system in the capital, the exercise seems inadequate.
“People are dying almost every day. I have never seen the special squad of LG on the street. People want safe roads and less bloodbath,” said Rajiv Kapoor, a software engineer.
“The special traffic wardens might be doing their job but what is the outcome? We want Blueline buses to be out of Delhi roads,” Kapoor said.