Eknath Shinde assures measures to be taken to prevent accidents on Samruddhi Expressway

Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, declared on Saturday that his government had taken seriously the Buldhana bus disaster,  in which 25 persons were charred to death, and that steps would be made to prevent accidents on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway.

In the early hours of Saturday, the accident occurred in Pimpalkhuta village in Buldhana district. Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis visited the location. They talked with police officers, district administration representatives, and locals who informed them of the events leading up to the catastrophe.

Speaking to reporters at the site, Shinde said drivers of all vehicles need to follow rules related to speed limit. So far, most of the accidents on the Samruddhi Expressway have occurred due to human errors. But the government has taken this accident seriously and steps will be taken to ensure that accidents and errors don’t happen, he said.

The death of 25 persons in today’s accident is unfortunate. They could not be saved as the door of the bus was locked. Eight people could come out, Shinde said. Quick response vehicles, fire brigade, police stationed on the expressway reached the spot on time, he said.

A total of 33 people were on board the private sleeper coach bus when it was going to Pune from Nagpur. The accident occurred at 1.30 am in which 25 persons were charred to death after the bus caught fire. Eight others, including the driver and the cleaner of the bus, survived as they managed to come out of the broken window, police said.