The entire city was taken aback after the massive accident near the Buldhana area. 25 people lost their lives, and many were injured. These sleeper buses are illegally modified, and according to the experts, these modified buses are nothing but a tomb. The experts are demanding a 'ban' on these illegally modified buses.
Ravi Mehendale, the bus designer of State Road Transport Corporation, said, "These buses are risky as they are 7-9 feet tall, and there is no place to walk or get out of the bus in an emergency. If any such situation occurs, the passengers do not have enough space to move towards the emergency exit door." He also mentioned that he had sent a letter regarding this issue to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, but he is still awaiting a response from the other end.
Save Pune's Dr. Harshad Abhyankar said, "The Pune and PCMC RTO should start a campaign to inspect these buses' conditions. The highway speed limit should also be reduced as the current speed is 120 kmph for these buses."
Around 300 people have died in such massive State and National Highways accidents. On Samruddhi Highway, no CCTV cameras are installed yet, and speed guns and other technical works still need to be done, yet it is operational. The number of accidents is increasing, and it is vital to verify dark spots on these roads and ensure safety measures.
