Upper deck of double-decker bus damaged at Metro site in Mumbai

The accident occurred after a piling rig grazed the bus outside MTNL building at BKC

The upper deck of a double-decker bus BEST was damaged after a piling rig at an under-construction Metro site in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) grazed the bus on Monday morning. Only two people were in the upper deck of the bus when the accident occurred at 8.35am. This is the second such incident within a year.

The damaged upper deck of the deck bus that was on its way to Kurla from Bandra station.(HT Photo)

According to the BKC Police, the bus (route number 310) was on its way to Kurla from Bandra railway station. The incident occurred outside MTNL building at BKC. They said it happened owing to the piling ring operator’s carelessness, as he had left the machine unattended.

The bus driver said gusty winds tilted the rig towards the road and it grazed the upper deck of the bus.

An officer from BKC police station said, “Fortunately, only a conductor and a passenger were in the upper deck when the accident took place. Both escaped unhurt. Most of the commuters had boarded the two buses ahead of the one that was damaged. The situation could have disastrous had more people been travelling in this bus.”

The bus driver registered a complaint at the BKC police station. Based on their investigation, the police filed a first information report (FIR) and booked the rig operator under sections 279 (rash driving), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 427 (Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Past incident at BKC

November 16, 2016: Seven peole were injured after a double-decker bus they were travelling in crashed into a tree branch at BKC. While the incident had occurred at 8.40pm, the driver was arrested in the night. The accident had taken place near the family court on Abdul Gafar Khan Road. The bus (route number 310) had left Bandra station and was Kurla. Bus driver Ramesh Patil was booked under sections 279, 337,338 and 427 of the IPC.