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Wednesday, 31/07/2013
http://www.punjabnewsline.com/punjab/tired-overworked-driver-led-to-bus-falling-into-bhakra-canal/83894
CHANDIGARH: As the Punjab government officials struggle to figure out the actual number of dead in the Bakhra canal bus accident on Tuesday night, it is believed that the main cause of the accident appeared to be the tired driver who overworked round the clock without being able to get adequate rest and sleep.
According to the sources Surinderpal Singh, the driver of the ill fated bus who also lost his life, started his day at 8 am in the morning from Amritsar on Tuesday. He reached Delhi at 6 pm after a tiring journey of about ten hours.
He again started form Delhi at 8 in the evening having rested for less than two hours. Some people who knew Surinderpal closely said that he was working on contract with a firm which had rented its buses to the PUNBUS. “He would actually drive for 24 hours without much rest”, said one of the grieving relatives of the deceased driver at the accident site.
He said, there are scores of other such drivers, working both with the state transport as well as the private bus services, like Surinderpal who are made to drive round the clock for few extra rupees as overtime.
Since it is difficult to make out the actual cause of the accident, it is believed that it was most likely caused by the driver’s error who might have dosed off while driving thus leading to his losing control over the bus and it straightway falling into the fast flowing Bakhra canal which is full of water at this time of the year.
Meanwhile, the government is yet to figure out the exact number of people who were travelling in the bus when it fell into the canal. Some officials quoting the PUNBUS sources said, 25 people had reportedly booked their ticket in New Delhi before the bus started for its onward journey to Amritsar. It is virtually impossible to make out as how many passengers boarded the bus after it left Delhi and how many got down during its journey up to Sirhind..
