The Hindu : Front Page : Man’s death at bus station brings safety issues to fore

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Man’s death at bus station brings safety issues to fore

Staff Reporter

Passenger comes under the wheels of a BMTC bus

He was from Ranebennur taluk of Haveri district
Commuters face high risk at Shivajinagar bus-stand in Bangalore

— Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

CROWDED: BMTC buses and commuters have to jostle for space at Shivajinagar Bus Station in Bangalore.

BANGALORE: When 49-year-old S.R. Sahukar told his family in Ranebennur taluk of Haveri district that he would be back after attending the Dasara festivities in Mysore, little did they know they would not be seeing him alive again. Mr. Sahukar died on Friday here under the wheels of a Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus at the Shivajinagar Bus Station (SBS), before his daughter’s eyes.

His death again highlights the lack of safe pedestrian crossings and the high risk commuters face while reaching bus bays. Eyewitnesses differ in their version of what happened. According to one version, Mr. Sahukar was crossing the platform when the bus hit him.

Another version says that he lost his balance and came under the rear wheels of the bus after being jostled by three youngsters. The youngsters were allegedly quarrelling on the platform and in the melee one of them pushed Mr. Sahukar from the platform.

Mr. Sahukar had been to Mysore for the Dasara festivities along with his daughter Hema. He came to Bangalore and visited his relatives at Jeevanahalli. They did not get a direct bus to Majestic so they took one to reach Shivajinagar where the accident occurred.

While it is for the BMTC and police authorities to verify which of the two versions of the accident is correct, the fact remains that there is lack of safe pedestrian crossing at SBS. Buses and commuters take the same entry point to SBS and as the footpath leading to the bus-stand is narrow, commuters walk along the bus entry route, exposing themselves to high risk.

Unlike at BMTC’s Kempe Gowda Bus Station (KBS) where security personnel prevent jaywalking and compel the public to take the foot overbridge, there are very few personnel to man commuter traffic at the SBS.

Also, buses from south and east Bangalore which come to SBS via Central Street offload commuters before entering the terminal, triggering a rush inside the bus station to a connecting service.

Hawking zone

A subway constructed for the safe passage of commuters beneath the Central Street and opposite the terminal building is not being used. People seldom use the footpath opposite the terminal, which leads to the subway as hawkers have occupied the stretch abutting Bowring Hospital’s compound. The entire stretch of footpath abutting the hospital compound wall has become a hawking zone.

BMTC’s Chief Security and Vigilance Officer S.K. Bellatti told The Hindu that the corporation had deployed additional security personnel at SBS.

However, there is need for better regulation of pedestrian movement around the bus-stand, he said. According to Mr. Bellatti, Mr. Sahukar lost his balance during the scuffle and the three youngsters fled as soon as they saw what happened.

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