Buses racing against each other kill one

Police said that one of the two buses on route L238, which ply between Howrah and Barasat, hit a man when he was crossing the road. The accident took place at the intersection of MG Road and Mullick Street.

Paritosh Samaddar, who witnessed the incident, said that both the buses were heading towards Howrah and many people from that area board buses to reach Howrah Station on Sunday morning.

Drivers of both the buses were trying to reach the intersection first and even flouted traffic signal. The 40-year-old victim, Dilip Chandaliya was crossing the road when the buses were racing.

The driver of one of the buses failed to control the vehicle upon suddenly finding the person crossing the road and hit him.

Chadaliya died on the spot after being run over by one of the front wheels of the vehicle. None of the buses stopped at the intersection to take passengers after the accident and fled the area.

A senior police officer of the city police’s traffic department said that the buses were identified after going through the footages of the surveillance cameras installed at the intersection. The drivers and the helpers would be arrested soon. The incident led to tension in the area as local people protested against the rash driving by bus drivers.

The local people claimed that the drivers do not care about passengers and pedestrians. Instead they drive recklessly as their target is always to get more passengers. They race against each other as the age old system of giving incentives to drivers and helpers still persists. They make more money if they can take more passengers. Thus, they drive buses even flouting traffic norms. 

The demand of the abolition of the commission system was demanded by the drivers and helpers as they would get fixed salary. But some bus owners are against it apprehending of incurring heavy loss. 

Whenever, there used to be any accident due to racing between buses, the demand surfaces. 

The state transport department has tried a lot to streamline the situation, but it had not become possible till date for various reasons.