Cuttack: Activists of Ambedkar Smruti Parishad have blamed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) patrolling party for the bus mishap on Mahanadi bridge here Tuesday evening and sought a high-level probe into the incident.
They have submitted memoranda in this regard to the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (central) and twin city police commissioner.
The outfit claimed that the Bhubaneswar-bound luxury bus from Talcher fell into Mahanadi after hitting an injured buffalo on the bridge, which is a part of the National Highway no. 16. According to the outfit, the buffalo was severely injured and lying on the bridge after an unidentified vehicle hit it.
“The bus driver could not spot the injured buffalo lying on the bridge. He lost control over the wheels after hitting the injured buffalo,” said the outfit in its memorandum.
Sukanta Sethi, president of the outfit, claimed that the driver and conductor of a passenger bus, plying between Balasore and Bhubaneswar, had spotted the injured buffalo much before the mishap and informed the NHAI patrolling party.
However, the NHAI patrolling party took the incident casually and did not take any step to remove the injured buffalo from Mahanadi bridge, he alleged.
“Had the patrolling party removed the injured buffalo from the bridge, the lives of a dozen people would have been saved,” Sethi said.
He urged the RDC and the police commissioner to register cases against the NHAI patrolling party.
Notably, a dozen people died and at least 40 others sustained injuries in the mishap.