Mangalore, Jul 11: In an incident that occurred on Sunday July 10 at Kinnigoli near Mulky, a bus went out of control of its driver, and rammed into a roadside shop. A couple working as labourers escaped death by a whisker, while a person survived from the jaws of certain death, with only minor injuries. The name board of the shop was damaged in the incident.
The labourers, who were standing on the platform of the building, rushed inside the building instantly on sighting the oncoming bus. The bus, which had left the bus stand here, had directly entered the cream parlour opposite the bus stand, instead of moving on its designated route. The locals feel that the impact of the accident was far less because of the fact that it was Sunday. On week days, a number of students stand on the road. Shop owner, Pramod Kumar, said that the impact of the accident on his shop was blunted by the protective wall of the drain in front of his shop.
The fact that the bus stand, which is used by hundreds of buses, is very small, has been creating problems often. Negligent driving by the riders of two and three-wheelers, who overlook the one-way traffic near the bus stand, and rash driving by bus drivers, has made this spot a high risk area. The inaction of the police department has encouraged the law breakers. The bus stand has been a zone of perennial traffic jams because of buses which get parked here for hours together. The citizens feel that accidents of grave nature are waiting to happen here, unless the authorities take steps to address the problems.