Bhopal, (Samajweekly) At least 13 people have been killed while 17 others sustained serious injuries in a bus-truck collision in Madhya Pradesh’s Guna, an official said on Thursday, adding that taking a serious note of the accident, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav made a major reshuffle in the Transport Department.
A private bus with around 30 passengers was heading from Guna to Aron when the accident occurred late on Wednesday on the national highway. The bus had caught fire after colliding with a truck.
The Chief Minister, meanwhile, has ordered the transfer of Principal Chief Secretary (Transport) Sukhveer Singh. Singh, who was also the Principal Secretary, was given additional charge of the Transport Department. He was replaced by Rajesh Rajora.
An order in that regard was issued by Chief Secretary Veera Rana on Thursday. The order mentioned that Rajora has been given additional charge of the Transport Department.
Yadav has also ordered the transfer of state transport commissioner Sanjay Kumar Jha, Guna District Collector Tarun Rathi and Superintendent of Police Vijay Khatri.
CM Yadav on Thursday also visited the site of the accident, and met the family members of deceased persons in Guna.
He also went to the hospitals to check the condition of those undergoing treatment.
Upon inspecting the site of the accident, and being apprised of the situation which led to the tragic incident, CM Yadav held the Transport Department accountable for grave negligence.
During the inspection, the chief minister found that the negligible approach of transport officials adhering to norms caused the tragic incident and has ordered a detailed inquiry into the matter.
“A four-member committee has been formed for an impartial investigation into the Guna bus accident. The investigation committee will submit its report to Guna Collector within three days on various aspects including investigation of the causes of the accident, various types of permissions of bus and dumper etc., cause of fire and investigation of the responsible departments,” the Chief Minister said.
He also said that stern action will be taken against those found responsible for this tragic incident.
He stated that officials’ approach has been negligible on adhering to mandatory norms related to the Transport Department and public safety.