The bodies of the deceased in the accident that took place near Kurubur village on T. Narsipur-Kollegal Highway stretch on Monday were sent to Sanganakal in Ballari district after the post-mortem was done at the Mysore Medical College and Research Institute here.
Out of ten deceased, nine tourists belonged to Sangankal and the driver of the ill-fated multipurpose vehicle (MPV-Innova) was from Srirangapatna. The deceased had hired the taxi for sightseeing.
In total, 12 members of three families – Manjunath, Sandeep and Janardhan – had come to Mysuru from Sanganakal to tour the city and surrounding places. Thirteen, including the driver, were travelling in the car when the accident took place. The cab and the private bus collided head-on. The bodies had to be extricated from the remains of the vehicle.
The tragedy struck when they were returning to Mysuru from B.R. Hills. The families from Ballari were learnt to have come to Mysuru by train and hired the cab to visit B.R. Hills. They had even booked tickets to return to Ballari on Monday evening.
The nine deceased were shifted to Ballari for the funeral in separate ambulances soon after the post-mortem, from Mysuru. The relatives of the deceased rushed to Mysuru on Monday evening on learning about the tragedy.
Two children, who were travelling in the private bus, were being treated at Cheluvamba Hospital.
Minister of Youth Affairs, Sports and Tribal Welfare and Ballari Rural MLA B. Nagendra, who rushed to Mysuru on Monday evening, enquired about the condition of the injured at K.R. Hospital. A four-year-old boy, who was grievously injured in the accident, is battling for life. Janardhan and Shashikumar, also from Sanganakal, are being treated at the hospital.
Expressing shock over the tragedy, Mr. Nagendra said he knew the deceased personally as they belong to his constituency. Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra, SP Seema Latkar, and DHO K.H. Prasad were present.
Minister for Social Welfare and T. Narsipur MLA H.C. Mahadevappa, who rushed to the hospital, also apprised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about the accident and the condition of the injured.
Complaints of rash driving
Villagers along Mysuru-T. Narasipur highway stretch (NH-766) have often complained of rash and negligent driving by motorists, especially private buses, besides lack of maintenance of the busy highway stretch, with weeds and shrubs blocking view of the drivers near road curves. The obstruction of the view may sometimes result in accidents with the drivers unable to see the vehicles coming from the opposite direction. The thick growth of vegetation near Kurubur village where the accident took place has been posing danger to the motorists, argued farmer leader Kurubur Shanthakumar, who belonged to the village and frequently commutes on the stretch.
Black spots, maintenance
Warning boards about black spots and curves should be prominently displayed along the stretch for helping drivers, he suggested.
The NHAI must make use of the toll money for the maintenance of the highway, clearing the vegetation periodically. The lack of maintenance is also to be blamed for the accidents, the villagers charged.
Locals also alleged that the private buses overspeed on Mysore-Kollegal route, endangering the safety of commuters.
