Bhanjanagar: In yet another major road mishap, a woman was killed while over 50 passengers rendered critical after a passenger bus skidded off the road and rammed onto a roadside tree in the wee hours of Sunday.
The horrific mishap occurred near Birikot on Bhanjanagar-Baibali road here in Ganjam district. The deceased was identified as Pansari Pradhan of Katamaha village under G Udayagiri police limits in Kandhamal district. The injured included three children, 25 women and other passengers.
Fire brigade personnel were pressed into service to rescue the injured. On learning the incident, police along with locals admitted the injured to Bhanjanagar sub-divisional hospital. However, they were deprived of treatment due to vacancy of doctors in the orthopedic department. The post of surgeon is lying vacant in the hospital. This created a furour among locals and relatives of the injured.
Locals claimed that posts of surgeons and other staff have been lying vacant in the hospital over a long period of time. No steps have been taken to fill up the posts.
Availing no option, the injured were shifted to Berhampur based-MKCG Medical College and Hospital. Outrage was seen in Bhanjanagar hospital for a while over the issue.
On being alerted, minister of forest and environment, parliamentary affairs and public relations, Bikram Keshari Arukh, sub-collector Laxmikant Sethy along with other officials reached the hospital and inquired about the condition of the injured.
Arrangements were made for the treatment of the injured. More ambulances were sent to the accident spot. Meanwhile, an official clarified that treatment expenses of the injured would be met from the Red Cross Funds.
Some of the injured were Budhia Naik, Sailendri Naik, Lalita Pradhan, Pramod Tripathy, Laxmi Nayak, Haripriya Behera, Chabi Karji, Dibakar Sethy, Surya Behera, Sabitri Gouda, Pramila Sethy, Binaya Dalei, Magata Barik, Santoshi Pradhan, Rabindra Sahu, Pramod Kumar Sahu, Krushnachandra Sahu, Subhashree Sahu, Kamalini Sahu, Jagyasini Naik, Geeta Naik, Arati Mishra, Ashutosh Sahu, Rashmita Panda, Lija Gouda and Rajesh Swain.
The incident occurred while the bus ‘Balunkeswari’ was en route to Berhampur from Indragarh. The vehicle rammed onto a tree after the driver lost balance over the wheels.
Reckless driving was the reason for the mishap, locals claimed. The bus was carrying an overload of passengers and the driver was drunk, locals said, demanding stringent action against the driver. SDPO Utkal Keshari Dash pacified the agitators and brought the situation under control.Police registered a case and launched an investigation.
The driver was absconding after the incident. Vehicular movement came to a complete stop with hundreds of vehicles stranded on both sides of the road.
Meanwhile, in Balasore district, two persons died when a motor bike in which they were travelling, was hit by a truck on National Highway No 5 near Simulia within the jurisdiction of Simulia police station Sunday, the police said.
The victims were approaching the National Highway after filling fuel from a petrol pump when the two-wheeler was hit by the truck. The truck was seized and the driver arrested, the police said. PNN