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Hours after at least 25 people were killed in a bus accident on the Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday announced that a committee of experts will be formed to study the reasons behind the accidents on the expressway and action will be taken based on that.
Shinde along with Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday morning visited the accident site in Buldhana district where at least 25 passengers lost their lives after the bus they were travelling in caught fire after hitting a pole.
The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the victims of the accident. “The accident occurred at around 1.30 am. The bus collided with a pole which led to the bursting of the diesel tank. The vehicle then skid on the road which caused it to catch fire. Twenty five people have died. There was no way to rescue those who were stuck in the bus. Eight passengers have survived and are under treatment,” said Shinde, while speaking with the reporters at the accident site.
The chief minister said that maximum accidents on Samruddhi highway are taking place due to human error with drivers dozing off. “We will do everything that is possible to ensure that these accidents don’t occur again,” he said adding that a “committee of experts will be formed to study reasons behind these accidents and action will be taken based on that.”
He said that the government has been planning measures and setting up smart systems to avoid accidents. “We are also monitoring through cameras,” he added.
Shinde said that the rescue services had reached the spot within few minutes of the accident but could not rescue many passengers since the doors of the bus were closed which led to the increase in the number of fatalities.
“A system has been set up at the Samruddhi Expressway to monitor the vehicular traffic. The drivers are counselled. Sometimes vehicles or drivers are sent back if found not qualified to drive on this road. All safety mechanisms are being followed,” he said.
Meanwhile, faced with the criticism from the Opposition that the construction of Samruddhi Expressway is not scientific, Fadnavis said that the construction of the road is extremely safe.
“In none of the accidents till now it has emerged that the road construction is flawed. Human error in few cases and defect in vehicles in other cases are the reasons. Therefore it will not be appropriate to speak about the quality of the road construction,” said Fadnavis.
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