School bus hits electric pole, 20 injured

Kolkata: Twenty persons, including 12 school students, who were travelling in a school bus, suffered serious injuries after the bus hit an electric post here on Monday morning near Chitpur Lock Gate flyover.

Students, guardians and the bus driver were rushed to R G Kar Medical College and Hospital. Some of them were treated and discharged from the hospital a few hours later.

According to a source, on Monday morning, the school bus was moving towards Bagbazar with students of Holy Child School.

After crossing the Chitpur Lock Gate flyover at the crossing of P.K. Mukherjee Road and Cossipore Road, the driver lost control and hit an electric post as a result of which, the bus toppled.

Local residents and traffic police personnel nearby ran to the accident spot and started rescuing the injured persons. The police control room was informed. Within a few minutes ambulances, Disaster Management Group (DMG) and a Heavy Radio Flying Squad (HRFS) van were sent to the spot.

Another HRFS van was sent to R G Kar Hospital. Within half-an-hour students along with the guardians and the bus driver were rescued and rushed to the hospital.

Hospital sources informed that apart from the driver, identified as Sonu Halder, condition of the injured persons is stable. Most of students and guardians are in a state of shock.

Local residents said the bus was running at a high speed and was trying to overtake a truck. The driver lost control after one of the wheels of the bus slipped on the sand dumped on the roadside. Sources said that there was an examination at Holy Child School on Monday and the driver had speeded up as students were in a hurry.

Sources informed that the condition of Halder is critical. All the students and guardians were admitted at the trauma care unit of the hospital. Apart from the driver, students, guardians and a pedestrian, identified as Dhananjay Bhuniya, was injured in the accident.

Later in the afternoon, a complaint was lodged at Chitpur police station and a case was initiated against Halder on charges of rash driving or riding on a public way and causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others and mischief causing damage to public property. After the medical condition of the driver improves, he would be questioned by the police about the accident.

General secretary of West Bengal Contract Carriage Owner's and Operator's Association Himadri Ganguly said: "This bus owner is not a member of our association. A far as I came to know, the Certificate of Fitness (CF) of the bus expired a few months ago. We do not encourage any vehicle to ply without proper documents. Drivers of the buses must not drive in such a way."

As per the database of 'Vahan', the portal of ministry of Road Transport and Highways, CF of the bus had expired on July 11 and the Motor Vehicle Tax was not paid since October 6.