Killer DTC buses claim one more life

A 33-year-old man lost his life when he came under the wheels of a DTC bus in Rajendra Place area of central Delhi on Monday morning. HT reports.

A 33-year-old man lost his life when he came under the wheels of a DTC bus in Rajendra Place area of central Delhi on Monday morning. The man was trying to save a woman who had come in front of his two-wheeler. This was the first casualty of the New Year by a DTC bus. Last year, 91 persons were killed by these buses, a figure that has gone up by 65 per cent when compared to 2010.

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The victim, identified as Sarwan Kumar, was on his scooter when a DTC bus plying on route number 753 (Mori Gate to Uttam Nagar) hit him. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where the doctors declared him brought dead.

“Around 11am, a woman who was talking on the phone came in front of Kumar’s scooter. She had been crossing the road. Kumar tried to save her and turned left. But a DTC bus coming from behind hit him,” a senior police officer said.

Kumar was a resident of Basai Dadapur village in Moti Nagar area and used to work as a labourer. The driver of the bus has been arrested and a case of causing death due to rash and negligent driving has been registered against him. The police have impounded the bus.

In 2010 only 48 deaths involving DTC buses had been reported. This has gone up to 91 in 2011. Five DTC drivers were booked till December 15 last year for drink driving.

And it was this indiscipline of the DTC bus drivers that had forced the Delhi Traffic Police to launch a massive drive against them and punish them for their negligence.

As a result, the year 2011 also witnessed sharp rise in terms of prosecution against DTC bus drivers. The official data of Delhi Traffic Police shows that 6,436 challans were issued against DTC buses this year against 5,260 challans in 2010.

According to the official data of the Delhi Traffic Police, till December 15 last year, 760 DTC buses were confiscated for flouting traffic rules. In 2010, only 120 DTC buses had been impounded by the police.