At least 12 passengers hurt after bus hits pillar on Maa Flyover

KOLKATA: About 12 passengers of a bus suffered injuries after a bus of KB 21 route hit a pillar of Maa flyover on the Park Circus Connector after one of its tyres got deflated on Wednesday morning.

The injured were rushed to Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, from where they were discharged after necessary treatment.

Around 8:30 am, the incident took place near China Town when the bus was moving towards Science City from Park Circus. Suddenly one of its tyres deflated and the driver lost control over the vehicle.

The bus came to a halt after hitting a pillar of Maa flyover. Police rescued the injured passengers and rushed them to hospital. However, the driver managed to flee from the spot.

Though it has been alleged that the accident took place due to deflating of the tyre, the exact cause of the accident will be ascertained after forensic examination. It is alleged that a good number of private buses which ply across the city do not follow the Certificate of Fitness (CF) norms.

At the time of CF renewal, owners use new and good condition tyres and repair the damaged parts, but later use old and bad condition tyres to save money. As a result, chances of accidents due to malfunction increases a lot.

Deputy Commissioner of Traffic, Kolkata, Arijit Sinha said: "It is not practically possible for on duty Sergeants to check every tyre as they have other areas of traffic management to focus on. We shall take up the matter with PVD and do the needful."