The major cause of the Kondagutti bus accident was said to be overloaded passengers and use of a shortcut route. The accident caused lives of 53 people and left 28 injured. The deceased included 17 women and 7 children.
The bus was fully crowded with almost 86 passengers, whereas the capacity is limited to 60. The state run Road Transport Corporation (RTC) bus was coming from the Anjaneya Swami Temple near Kondagattu. While returning, the bus driver lost control and fell in a narrow valley in Jagtial District. The ghat road consists of sharp ditches in a few places, which are highly risky routes to take. There is an alternative way which is 10 km longer, but the driver took the shortcut which resulted in the serious accident.
The Chairman of the Road Safety Authority and Director General of Police (DGP) T. Krishna Prasad visited the spot and conducted an investigation. He said that the road had witnessed multiple accidents in recent years. It is said that the local authorities restricted the travel of RTC buses and trucks. They also put barricades, but due to public demand, it was removed a few years back.
Mr. Prasad addressing the media sources said they have crafted a crash resolution team consisting of officials from all departments including Police, Revenue, Transport, RTC and Roads and Buildings (R&B.) He further added that some measures will be taken to ensure that no such incident takes place in the future. The measures will include construction of barricades, counselling of bus drivers, seizing unfit vehicles, etc.
Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao expressed sympathy for the loss of lives and announced a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh to the families of the deceased. Along with the Chief Minister, the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation also declared a compensation amount of Rs. 3 lakh to the families of the deceased.
