Hindustan Times ·
ST bus with schoolchildren overturns in ghat, 7 injured
The bus reportedly lost momentum while climbing the ghat and began rolling backwards before overturning.
PUNE: Seven school students sustained injuries after an MSRTC bus overturned while negotiating Supe Ghat on the Chaufula-Supe road in Baramati on Wednesday morning.
The Baramati depot bus, travelling from Patas to Supe in Pune district, was carrying around 25 students of a Vidya Pratishthan school. The bus reportedly lost momentum while climbing the ghat and began rolling backwards before overturning.
Police and MSRTC officials reached the spot and coordinated the rescue efforts. Injured students were taken to hospitals in Patas, Chaufula and Loni Kalbhor for treatment.
“The bus overturned at a turn at the start of the ghat. It is estimated that around 40 students were travelling in the bus. Some of the injured students were admitted to private hospitals at Kedgaon-Chaufula, while two students were shifted to Pune for further treatment,” said Dr Yogesh Patil, principal of Vidya Pratishthan’s Supe English Medium School.
Jitendra Gaikwad, a parent of one of the students on the bus, said, “The bus was CNG-powered and could not climb the steep gradient at the spot, resulting in the accident. This particular bus was in poor condition. Our demand is that new buses be provided for students.”
Deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar spoke to the school principal and police officers, directing them to ensure every injured student receives proper medical treatment. “All necessary assistance should be provided to the students and their families, and parents should not panic,” she said.
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar said the incident is extremely shocking and raises serious concerns about the ST Corporation’s services. “Just last week, when two consecutive buses from Swargate to Baramati broke down, passengers had to be accommodated in a third bus, causing them significant mental distress,” said Pawar.
He alleged that the previous transport commissioner’s tenure seems to have been spent engaging in “black market dealings” rather than clean governance, leading to such repeated embarrassments for the ST Corporation. “The administration must immediately conduct a thorough investigation into this accident and ensure not only students but also the lives of any ordinary person traveling by ST are not put at risk!” he said.
Additional superintendent of police, Baramati, Ganesh Biradar said the bus overturned at 8:15 am. “As the bus failed to climb a steep section of the ghat and rolled backwards, it fell into a gorge. In the accident, 5-6 children suffered minor injuries, while one student sustained serious injuries and was shifted to a hospital in Loni Kalbhor for further treatment. The bus driver, Rahul Madavi, fled the spot after the accident,” he said.
Biradar added that “prima facie it seems the bus was not driven properly; the handbrake and accelerator were not used correctly. The process of registering a case regarding the accident is underway.”
- Dheeraj Bengrut is a Principal Correspondent with Hindustan Times, Pune, with over 15 years of experience in journalism. He covers transport, infrastructure, urban development and civic governance, with a focus on public policy and citizen-centric issues. His reporting spans railways, aviation, roads, public transport and major infrastructure projects across Maharashtra.Read More
