Driver to blame for Murshidabad tragedy: Mamata

KOLKATA/BEHRAMPORE: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday rubbished the opposition charge of a “manmade” disaster in Murshidabad’s Daulatabad, claiming the bus driver was at fault.
Monday’s bus mishap took 43 lives, one more body being fished out of the creek on Wednesday morning. The CM even claimed that had police and rescuers not been prevented from entering the mishap zone, the death toll could have been lower.
“Eight persons were rescued immediately. Who knows if police and rescuers had not been delayed for over two hours, more lives could have been saved? I personally went there. Overnight, the post-mortem was conducted, the victims identified and handed over to their kin with the Rs 5 lakh compensation cheques. Such things take days, if not months, to be completed. The administration has done whatever it could, yet some people will only criticise,” she told a party meeting in Kolkata on Wednesday.
“There I saw an ASP with a bleeding forehead. I asked him why he didn’t get it treated immediately. He told me he would after finishing the task at hand. Doesn’t this have any value? A driver’s fault led to the accident. It was very unfortunate but why blame needlessly?” she said.
“Everybody knows who the instigators were. Why were the DM and SP not allowed to reach the spot for two hours? Let not our decency be mistaken for weakness.”
The CM’s statement followed allegations by Left Front and Congress that administrative lapses led to the accident and a judicial inquiry should be ordered.
Acting on cue, the Murshidabad administration lodged two FIRs, the first relating to the deaths and the other for rioting and arson at Daulatabad PS.
The state PWD has issued an order saying crash barriers will need to be set up urgently on both sides of all bridges set up by it by March 31. It was issued keeping in mind the accident, sources said.