TIRUPATI : Was negligence of the transport and police authorities the real cause of the ghastly mishap in Yerpedu of Chittoor district that claimed 15 lives and left several more injured ?
It would seems so, given the fact that the driver was in an inebriated condition and most importantly was not having a license to drive the heavy vehicle in the first place. The driver M Guravaiah (37), native of DV Satram mandal in Nellore district, was having only licences for light motor vehicle. He was driving the truck, which was involved in the road mishap from February 26, the day it got registered.
When contacted by Express, deputy transport commissioner of Chittoor Ch Pratap confirmed that Guravaiah was not having the required licences. He said department do checking of the vehicles, but in random given the shortage of manpower and at the check-post, focus is more on validity of vehicle permit and the cargo being transport than on the driver.
The police confirmed that the accused driver was driving the truck continuously for more than 8 hours before the accident. He had set out from Natural Bleach Earth Private Limited in Shamshabad near Hyderabad on Thursday and made a stop at Talakondapally in Mahabubnagar district to pick up load of super phosphate and sulphur. The load was to be delivered to Kattupalli village near Ponneri in Tiruvallur district of Chennai.
He is being suspected to have consumed alcohol while driving after leaving Kadapa and by the time he lost control of the vehicle, he was said to be in an agitated mood for unspecified reasons.
According to sources, Guravaiah is an alcoholic and was removed couple of times from his job as security guard, before he took up truck driving. Police have taken him into custody and had registered cases against him, lorry owner T Ramesh and cleaner Subramanyam alias Mani under Sections 304-part (II), 337, 338 and 279 rw 34.
The transport department are also expected to book more cases against the accuser under Motor Vehicle Act.
Meanwhile, toll in the mishap had gone up to 15 by Friday late night and after performing post mortem, the bodies were handed over to their respective families.
Of the 12 injured undergoing treatment at different hospitals, condition of six was reported to be serious. A scribe of vernacular daily, who was critically injured is fighting for life in a private hospital in Chennai. A pall of gloom had descended on Munagalapalem, as the last rites for the 15 victims were performed.