Thirteen people were injured after a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus rammed a lorry and a motorbike at Gudiyatham town in Vellore on Wednesday.
According to police, the TNSTC bus was heading to Vellore from Pernambut town when the driver, S. Udayakumar, 41, lost control of the vehicle after he tried to steer through a congested stretch and rammed a moving lorry and a two-wheeler from behind around 1 p.m. In the impact, 11 people in the bus and two on the bike were injured.
The windshield of the bus was damaged. No one in the lorry was hurt. Passers-by rescued the injured persons and alerted the Gudiyatham Town police.
The injured persons were admitted to the Government Taluk Hospital in the town. A case has been registered. Initial inquiry revealed that the driver was employed on contract on Tuesday, following the strike by transport workers’ union.
According to TNSTC officials, of a total of 616 buses in Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts that come under Vellore zone, over 90% of the buses were being operated since Tuesday. Though most of the drivers were regular staff, a sizeable number of contract drivers were roped in to ensure smooth operation of buses, especially in remote areas and hilly regions.
