Almora Road Accident: The death of 36 people in a horrific bus accident in Marchula of Almora district brought back memories of the tragic bus accident in Dhumakot, Pauri in Uttarakhand two and a half years ago. On June 6, 2022, a GMOU bus from Laldhang in Haridwar was going to Birkhal in Pauri carrying baraatis when it crashed. At around 8.30 pm, the bus hit the roadside parapet in the Dhumakot forest and fell into a 500-meter deep gorge, killing 33 people and injuring 20. The accident had mourned the entire state and raised questions on the negligence of the administration.

Immediately after the bus fell in the Dhumakot forest, another driver passing by informed the police about the accident. After this, teams of police, fire brigade, SDRF and NDRF reached the spot and carried out rescue operations for 25 hours. The rescue operation was extremely challenging due to the depth of the gorge and difficult geographical conditions. Many injured were taken out of the ditch and admitted to nearby hospitals, while it also took a lot of time to take out the bodies of those who lost their lives in the accident.

Overloading and overspeeding became the cause of the accident
A committee was formed to investigate this tragic incident, which submitted its report in October 2022. The report revealed that the main reason for the accident was the high number of passengers in the bus and driving the bus at high speed. The bus was carrying more passengers than the prescribed capacity, which is risky on the hilly roads of Uttarakhand. Along with this, the driver drove the bus faster than the prescribed speed, due to which he lost control and the bus fell into the ditch. The report also revealed that there were about 11 barriers and check points on the way from Laldhan to Dhumakot, but the bus was not checked anywhere, which highlights administrative negligence.

Questions raised on administrative negligence
After the Dhumakot bus accident, pressure increased on the government and administration to stop incidents of overloading and overspeeding in Uttarakhand. Regular checking of buses running in the state and strict monitoring at check points were promised to ensure the safety of passengers. Despite this, the recent Marchula accident made it clear that there is a need to improve the administrative system. The problem of overloading and speeding still persists and it remains a serious threat to the safety of passengers.

Ignoring passenger safety
Both the Dhumakot and Marchula accidents show that adequate steps have not been taken in the state for the safety of passengers. It is necessary to follow the rules regarding the capacity and speed of buses on hilly roads. Strict rules are required for the safety of passengers and the administration should do regular inspection and monitoring.

Responsibility of the government and administration
The kind of negligence that was seen after the Dhumakot accident makes it clear that the administration will have to be more vigilant for passenger safety. The result of not learning from the previous accident is that the safety of passenger transport is also under threat in other areas like Almora. For the safety of passengers, it is necessary to pay attention to regular checking of buses and repair of roads.