ACCIDENTAL FATALITIES ON THE RISE, BUS PLUNGES IN GORGE, CLAIMS 11 LIVES,13 CRITICALLY INJURED IN SALTT, Almora

The tragic incidents of buses and motor vehicles plunging into deep gorges’ and valleys are on the rise in Uttarakhand resulting in hundreds of, on the spot deaths and critical injuries. The accidental menace due to rash driving, driving in inebriation (of liquor) and long driving hours of fatigued drivers including bad condition of roads full of deep pot holes and unrepaired dead turns usually result in such tragic mishappenings.

The heavy traffic on roads and highways leading to four historical destinations like Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri is also one of the prime reasons for such deadly accidents. If we go by the statistics of the accidental deaths in Uttarakhand hills during the last few years the numbers of the dead and critically injured is mind boggling. There is an urgent need to tackle these increasing accidental mortalities at the governmental level before it is too late. Not any day is passed without the tragic news of the bus or the vehicle, particularly the four wheelers losing control and plunging into deep thuds resulting in the killings of good number of people with little or chance of the survivors especially those critically injured as hospitals are too far away and adequate treatment missing in most of the district government hospitals.

The number of ambulances, at present being 139, with majority of them out of service also adds to the voes of the accidental victims. Just today in the series of such brutal accidents, a bus carrying several passengers plunged into a deep gorge killing 12 persons and critically injuring over 13 of them. According to the news pouring in all the grievously injured have been addmitted to a district hospital in Ramnagar, Almora, Uttarakhand whereas the bodies of the 11 dead have been retrieved from the gorge and handed over to the relatives for final cremation. The firest guards and officials including the local police have retrieved the dead bodies with the help of the local villagers.

As per the latest news the bus with 30 odd passengers was coming towards Ram Nagar from Bhatrozkhan and plunged into a deep gorge in Saltt area near Tottam. The local administration, police, the forest department and the local villagers are busy in the relief operations. Meanwhile, the government of Uttarakhand is contemplating to give adequate financial assistence and compensation to the bereaved families for the dead and the critically injureds.
SUNIL NEGI