'Negligence' behind Kahuta coaster fiasco

Initial probe implicates vehicle owner, bus terminal manager & driver in fatal crash

RAWALPINDI:

Initial investigations into the Kahuta bus fiasco have revealed negligence on the part of the vehicle owner, the bus terminal manager, and the driver.

The fatal accident also revealed a lack of enforcement by the City Traffic Police Rawalpindi and the Regional Transport Authority.

Kahuta police have registered a case against the coaster owner, the bus terminal manager, and others involved. Kahuta DSP Tahir Sikandar stated that an investigation is underway, and raids are being conducted to apprehend the accused.

The accident involved a passenger coaster travelling from Rawalpindi to Palandri, Azad Kashmir, carrying 26 passengers, including women and children. The vehicle plunged into a deep ditch near Garari Bridge, approximately seven kilometres from the Azad Kashmir.

It has been revealed that the vehicle did not have a route permit or a fitness certificate, and the owner and terminal manager failed to provide these documents.

The vehicle was not fit for the route, as it could not pass the required fitness test.

Moreover, the City Traffic Police and the Regional Transport Authority did not check the vehicle at any point during its journey.

The case, filed at Kahuta police station by ASI Shakeel Lal, includes charges of speeding, negligent driving, aiding and abetting, and causing damage to life and property. The coaster owner, bus terminal manager, and others have been named under Section 109.

ASI Shakeel Lal reported that he witnessed the coaster taking a sharp turn before it plunged off the bridge. The accident resulted in the immediate deaths of 23 people, including the driver, Arfaq Ahmed, with three more passengers dying en route to the hospital or upon arrival.

Further investigation revealed that the coaster was flagged off from Pirwadhai terminal in Rawalpindi without the necessary route permit or fitness certificate. The owner of the coaster, Muhammad Safir Ahmad, a resident of Azad Kashmir, along with bus terminal manager Abdul Quddus, allowed the vehicle to operate without meeting the legal requirements.

The alleged negligence of the coaster owner, bus terminal manager, and the driver led to the loss of 26 lives in total. DSP Kahota Tahir Sikandar confirmed that the investigation is ongoing, and all aspects of the case will be thoroughly examined.

Meanwhile, sources said the owner of the coaster involved in the tragic accident near Garari Bridge had attempted to obtain a route permit from the Punjab Transport Department after securing a fitness certificate from Muzaffarabad ten days prior. However, just two days before the accident, the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) Rawalpindi staff stopped the vehicle during a road check, fined it, and inspected it through the "Vehicles Inspection and Certificate System" (VICS), uncovering five defects.