One killed, three hurt in BEST mishaps at Borivali, Mankhurd
While a pedestrian was run over at Borivali, a passenger, conductor and driver suffered injuries when their bus rammed an electric pole at Mankhurd on Tuesday morning.
One person was killed and three people - including a driver and a conductor - suffered minor injuries in two separate accidents involving BEST buses on Tuesday.
The accidents occurred at Mankhurd and at Borivali, with a pedestrian’s death in the latter taking the death toll of BEST accident victims to 31 this financial year, once again raising a question on the safety record of the public transport service.
Around 10.20 am, 48-year-old Dattaram Mahadeo Bandarkar was crossing a road near Mahananda Dairy at Goregaon when he was knocked down by a speeding BEST bus (Route No 349), that operates between Santosh Nagar (Goregaon East) and Kurla (W). The driver, Suresh Shinde, 36, has been booked for rash driving by the Vanrai police of Goregaon (E).
While the BEST administration had no details of the accident victim till evening, a relative of Bandarkar alleged that his life could have probably been saved had considerable time not been lost in providing him adequate medical treatment.
“Bandarkar lost the crucial golden hour as he was shifted from one hospital to another. Soon after the accident, he was taken to Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital at Jogeshwari,” said the relative who requested anonymity. “However, since the hospital did not have the facilities to treat him, he was shifted to Sion hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.”
“Bandarkar worked in the security department of the Income Tax office at Bandra Kurla Complex. His sudden death has come as a shock to us,” another relative told Mirror while waiting to claim the body.
Bus collides with pole
In an earlier incident which occurred at Maharashtra Nagar in Mankhurd around 6 am, a BEST bus (Route No 505) plying between Bandra and CBD Belapur collided with an electric pole after a speeding tempo suddenly switched lanes.
To avoid colliding with the tempo, the bus driver swerved sharply and rammed the pole. A woman commuter, Lata Nair, suffered minor injuries, as did the driver, Suresh Ahire, and conductor, Nandkumar Pawar. All three of them were treated at Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi and discharged.
Increase in fatal best mishaps
While 26 people had died in accidents involving BEST buses in the last financial year - April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013 - 31 deaths caused by BEST buses have been recorded this year.
There has been a steady increase in the number of fatal accidents over the past few years which has been attributed to rash driving as well as maintenance issues.
“The problem with maintenance of BEST buses is that the work has now been outsourced to private contractors who are not present as and when required. They come once a week and repair whatever problems they can in parked buses,” said Sunil Ganacharya, BEST committee member, adding that there is no comprehensive maintenance system. “At any point of time, 65 to 70 buses have some problem .“
One person was killed and three people - including a driver and a conductor - suffered minor injuries in two separate accidents involving BEST buses on Tuesday.
The accidents occurred at Mankhurd and at Borivali, with a pedestrian’s death in the latter taking the death toll of BEST accident victims to 31 this financial year, once again raising a question on the safety record of the public transport service.
It is also alleged that the victim died due to time lost while shifting him from one hospital to another.
Around 10.20 am, 48-year-old Dattaram Mahadeo Bandarkar was crossing a road near Mahananda Dairy at Goregaon when he was knocked down by a speeding BEST bus (Route No 349), that operates between Santosh Nagar (Goregaon East) and Kurla (W). The driver, Suresh Shinde, 36, has been booked for rash driving by the Vanrai police of Goregaon (E).
While the BEST administration had no details of the accident victim till evening, a relative of Bandarkar alleged that his life could have probably been saved had considerable time not been lost in providing him adequate medical treatment.
“Bandarkar lost the crucial golden hour as he was shifted from one hospital to another. Soon after the accident, he was taken to Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital at Jogeshwari,” said the relative who requested anonymity. “However, since the hospital did not have the facilities to treat him, he was shifted to Sion hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.”
“Bandarkar worked in the security department of the Income Tax office at Bandra Kurla Complex. His sudden death has come as a shock to us,” another relative told Mirror while waiting to claim the body.
Bus collides with pole
In an earlier incident which occurred at Maharashtra Nagar in Mankhurd around 6 am, a BEST bus (Route No 505) plying between Bandra and CBD Belapur collided with an electric pole after a speeding tempo suddenly switched lanes.
To avoid colliding with the tempo, the bus driver swerved sharply and rammed the pole. A woman commuter, Lata Nair, suffered minor injuries, as did the driver, Suresh Ahire, and conductor, Nandkumar Pawar. All three of them were treated at Shatabdi Hospital in Govandi and discharged.
Increase in fatal best mishaps
While 26 people had died in accidents involving BEST buses in the last financial year - April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013 - 31 deaths caused by BEST buses have been recorded this year.
There has been a steady increase in the number of fatal accidents over the past few years which has been attributed to rash driving as well as maintenance issues.
“The problem with maintenance of BEST buses is that the work has now been outsourced to private contractors who are not present as and when required. They come once a week and repair whatever problems they can in parked buses,” said Sunil Ganacharya, BEST committee member, adding that there is no comprehensive maintenance system. “At any point of time, 65 to 70 buses have some problem .“
