Can't eliminate Blueline buses: Delhi govt

After seven people were crushed under the wheels of a Blueline bus in Delhi on Sunday, the state government has announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each for the families of the deceased.

Delhi Transport Minister Haroon Yosuf has also ordered an inquiry into the accident, in which seven people were critically injured.

According to some eyewitness reports, the accident took place in the Badarpur area when the bus rammed into people crossing the road. Angry passers-by held up traffic on the road.

The police said, the bus was running well over the speed limit and the speed governor had been tampered with.

Reacting to this, the Transport Minister said manipulation of speed governors by bus operators was saddening.

He said that everyday bus operators come up with new ways to tamper with the speed governors.

Just a couple of months ago, the government in a much-publicised campaign had put mechanical devices or speed governor on all bluelines, including today's killer bus.

The government on Sunday admitted that it was not a fool-proof way of saving lives. Meanwhile, the chief minister's response to Sunday's accident has ruffled quite some feathers.

''When you cross the road, you should see left and right. For the past two months we have been educating people to walk carefully,'' said Shiela Dikshit, Chief Minister, Delhi.

In what comes as supreme irony, ''I'd rather walk than take a blueline,'' was what Shiela Dikshit had said in July, when she had contemplated banning bluelines altogether after a series of deaths.

The Delhi government has said it is not possible to arrange alternative CNG buses, so it can't eliminate the Blueline bus service.

Acting tough against the killer buses, however, the government has said that any bus involved in any accident will lose its permit without a show-cause notice.

Source: ndtv.com