The bus accident in Almora is only the latest in the tragic accidents that occur regularly in the hills of Uttarakhand. The reasons are mostly known, and claims are made from time to time about steps taken to prevent these from happening. Unfortunately, it is more than evident that even the basic protocols and precautions are not implemented at the ground level by the departments concerned. The problem is aggravated by the opposition from certain sections to improvement of the infrastructure, mostly for ‘environmental’ reasons.
Be it transport corporation buses or private ones plying in the hills, one fact that emerges after every such incident is that the vehicles were in bad condition. Why is that allowed? Who is responsible for this negligence, those in charge of maintenance, or those who should be enforcing the norms through regular inspections? The poor skills of drivers are often offered as an excuse for accidents taking place. Often it emerges that the driver had not slept long enough, or was drunk, or had been driving for an excessive period of time. This is often the case with drivers of private buses. And, of course, the most easily prevented, overloading, is a primary cause. It is true that, oftentimes, a driver cannot refuse to take on passengers because it might be the only bus available on that route. However, this urge to accommodate must be resisted. Strict action should be taken by the police if it comes across such a violation.
And it is surprising that given the amount of funds allocated to road construction, there are no effective crash barriers wherever such incidents take place. If these cannot be installed all along the road for lack of funds, dangerous spots should be identified and such barriers constructed. Also, it should be a practice as far as possible to grow trees on hill slopes alongside as they too prevent high casualties if a vehicle does go off the road. Difficult turns should have tunnel-like structures to ensure mistakes don’t turn into disasters. The hills need special driving skills, and experience. So, the required training should be imparted, at least, to drivers of commercial vehicles.
Providing compensation of various kinds after an accident does little to ease the suffering of victims’ families. It does not in any way reduce the responsibility and accountability of the government and the authorities.
