Odisha’s Deogarh accident: Owner of ‘unfit’ bus booked

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, Apr 19:

The owner of the ill-fated bus, which fell off Gaelo ghat in Odisha’s Deogarh district on Sunday evening killing 27 persons, has landed in a trouble as the transport office here has filed a case against the owner of the vehicle for not having valid documents to ply his vehicle.

The Cuttack Road Transport Officer (RTO) Dipti Ranjan Patra today filed an FIR against Tapan Kumar Mohanty, the owner of the bus, at Lalbag police station here for running his vehicle without fitness certificate and route permit.

“During the investigation, it is found that the owner of the bus has not paid taxes since 2014 and the bus has no insurance. Besides, the owner of the vehicle was running it without fitness certificate and route permit. Based on this, we have filed a case against him at Lalbag police station,” RTO Dipti Ranjan Patra said.

Notably, the bus bearing registration number OR O5 AB 9535 was registered with Cuttack transport office.

As per the transport department’s website, the owner of the vehicle—Tapan Kumar Mohanty—hails from Nemeisapur under Ayatpur Sadar in Cuttack district.

According to reports, Mohanty had sold the vehicle to one Altaf Hussain from Bargarh in 2013.

However, the transport officer clarified that no records pertaining to the sale of the vehicle were available with the department.

It may be recalled that 27 members of Bargarh-based Bharati Gananatya (an opera party) were killed after the bus in which they were travelling nosedived from Gaelo ghat. The bus fell 300 feet into a gorge.

Meanwhile, the condition of 11 injured undergoing treatments at Deogarh district headquarters hospital and VSS Institute of Medical Science and Research (VIMSAR), Burla is stated to be stable, sources said.