New Delhi: Delhi Transport Corporation buses have been involved in 239 accidents in the national capital in the past five years due to rash and negligent driving.
A total of 44 accidents involving DTC buses were reported due to rash and negligent driving by DTC drivers during 2009-10, while 43 accidents took place due to the same reason in 2010-11, as per the ‘Operational Statistics' report released by DTC recently.
From April 2011 to March 2012, there were 80 accidents by DTC buses due to rash and negligent driving, it said.
It stated that during 2012-13, DTC buses caused 39 accidents in the national capital due to rash and negligent driving.
However, the number of cases of rash and negligent driving by DTC drivers came slightly down during 2013-14 when 33 such accidents were reported.
“In 2009-10, 10 accidents took place when passengers were alighting DTC buses, while 7 cases were reported when passengers were boarding DTC buses,” the report said.
Even a court in Saket recently rapped a DTC driver Sunil Kumar Rana and awarded three-month jail to him for rash and negligent driving which led to the death of a pedestrian.
DTC spokesperson R S Minhas said, “If any DTC driver is found indulging in rash and negligent driving, action is taken against him as per our employees' code of conduct.”
“It is up to the authority concerned what action, including issuance of warning advice or awarding punishment owing to his earlier record, it takes against drivers found in rash and negligent driving,” he added.
The report also said that 787 people were killed and 2,678 injured in accidents involving DTC buses in the past 10 years.
“63 persons were mowed down and 184 people injured by its buses between April 2013 and March 2014,” the report says.
Concerned over the accidents, DTC recently introduced a ‘Road Safety Award' for its drivers with an accident-free record.