'A bus driver should possess a comprehensive road plan: Toll plazas, major hospitals, road conditions, repairs, diversions, and dangerous areas.'
'Only through such preparation can we save lives.'
'Otherwise, simply sitting in the driver's seat and pressing the accelerator -- anyone can do that.'
Following the Kurnool bus tragedy that claimed 20 lives on October 24, 2025, Bhaskar Rao's forensic examination of India's road safety failures continues in this concluding part of a must-read interview with Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.
The retired Bengaluru commissioner of police and former Karnataka transport commissioner, having exposed fundamental design flaws and safety equipment failures in part one of the interview, now turns his attention to systemic accountability -- or the conspicuous lack thereof.
The V Kaveri Travels bus, registered in Odisha with 16 pending challans worth Rs 23,000 for over speeding and traffic violations, exemplifies the culture of impunity Mr. Rao condemns.
"The buck stops with the chief minister," he declares, calling for senior transport officials to be suspended and bus owners to be charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
With 474 Indians dying daily in road accidents, Mr. Rao articulates an urgent reform agenda: Ban cargo in buses, mandate fire-retardant materials, restrict two-wheelers from highways after dark, and -- most crucially -- demonstrate political will from the highest office to enforce existing safety protocols.
Who should be held primarily responsible for allowing buses without proper emergency exits and fire safety measures to operate -- the manufacturer, the transport department, or the homologation department?
The state road transport department conducts fitness certifications. They represent the responsible authority. However, they deflect blame onto ARAI (the Automotive Research Association of India in Pune), claiming that ARAI approved these emergency doors and therefore they cannot be held accountable.
During the annual motor vehicle inspection, they identify means of evading responsibility.
You must punish someone. You must punish some authority -- only then will anyone awaken to their responsibilities.
Consider Bengaluru: The Siddaramaiah government placed police officials under suspension following the cricket match tragedy. It was an extraordinarily bold decision, widely criticised. However, fear coursed through the spine of all officers. They realised that if the police commissioner could not be spared, then certainly no one else would be spared either.
What action should be taken now?
Place the Andhra Pradesh or Telangana transport commissioner under suspension. Observe how they will subsequently possess the resolve to enforce regulations. Presently, neither they nor the deputy dommissioner of ransport are concerned.
When you suspend the most senior officials, the fear of accountability permeates down to the grassroots level.
If officers merely wish to collect money, they shall continue doing so. What is the state GST department doing? Are they not forfeiting crores of rupees when numerous buses transport goods unauthorisedly? Is this not corruption?
There must be political will from the chief minister to effect change. That is why I stated in my communication that all these reforms are possible only when the chief minister demonstrates commitment.
If some mid-level commissioner or minor officer attempts reforms, nothing shall materialise. There must be genuine commitment from the top.
The buck stops with the chief minister.
While public anger is directed at the driver, do you believe the real culpability lies with systemic negligence by officials who approved unsafe buses?
Public anger is entirely justified. The public responds to the immediate cause but remains unaware of all these systemic issues I have articulated.
Accidents are remarkably rare in Western countries because safety receives paramount priority. Examine how our roads merge, how service roads are absent, and how we have unrestricted access roads. Yet we collect tolls comparable to those in mid-Western and Middle Eastern countries. However, the security provided to road users is negligible.
You sit in a vehicle in an extremely vulnerable state. Anyone can approach from any direction. Even after an accident occurs, there is no facility where you can receive treatment during the golden hour; no location where first aid can be administered; no emergency vehicle to transport you immediately.
Everything is left to the initiative of local villagers who come to assist. The entire highway should be monitored by CCTV, with emergency services rushing to shift the injured.
Life possesses no value in our system. One fire extinguisher -- expired -- is kept at the front of the bus, rather than inside the passenger cabin. We must avoid combustible materials such as carpets and nylon. Everything inside these buses is nylon and plastic.
What immediate steps should the government take following the Kurnool tragedy to prevent future incidents?
First, prohibit cargo transport in buses absolutely. Drivers must wear uniforms, and all inflammable materials must be removed from vehicles. Only fire-retardant material should be permitted inside buses.
The transport department should maintain night road patrols throughout. Two-wheelers should not be permitted on highways after nightfall -- say, after six o'clock in the evening.
Endeavour to make toll roads as access-controlled as possible with comprehensive networks of service routes. These represent the essential measures.
Do you support invoking culpable homicide charges not amounting to murder against negligent transport officials or manufacturers?
It was not merely an accident that occurred; it was a set of circumstances waiting to happen. The responsible parties knew -- they were aware -- that their actions could cause deaths.
Therefore, I advocate for culpable homicide not amounting to murder charges. If you invoke these charges, they will not receive bail. If you register a case under Section 304A, they will immediately obtain bail, walk free, pay a Rs 5,000 fine, and the matter concludes.
The driver's licence should be suspended, and the bus owner should be the first person booked and arrested. He represents the most significant culpable party. He should be arrested under culpable homicide not amounting to murder and denied bail.
How can passengers be made more aware of safety norms, such as checking for emergency exits and safety equipment before boarding?
Upon settling into your seat, immediately ascertain the location of the emergency door. The vehicle owner or transporter should activate a video informing passengers about the bus's safety features.
Passengers should be informed about hammer locations and instructed on precisely what actions to take in the event of an accident -- if the bus topples, catches fire, or falls into water.
High-powered torches should be maintained inside the bus -- fire-retardant torches independent of the bus's electrical system that activate automatically during collisions, allowing people to perceive their surroundings.
All these measures are entirely feasible. The prerequisite is: Possessing the agenda of saving lives.
As a former transport commissioner, what reforms are needed in the vehicle homologation and fitness certification process to ensure buses meet genuine safety norms rather than mere paper compliance?
When a bus is to be homologated and authorised for manufacture in significant numbers for passenger service, passenger safety must constitute the paramount priority.
Passenger safety encompasses how passengers can save themselves during fires -- utilising fire-retardant materials. If the bus topples or brakes suddenly, are there objects that will injure passengers inside?
What I am articulating is not novel -- these standards exist in regulations. The imperative is enforcement. Please enforce existing provisions.
In Mumbai, your location, there are numerous private buses travelling to Indore, Jaipur -- indeed, Mumbai represents one of India's largest hubs for private transportation. Please impress upon your transport commissioner the necessity of conducting emergency inspections: Are emergency doors functioning?
Most crucially, all drivers, conductors, and attendants must undergo first-aid training, particularly for handling burn injuries. They are the first responders.
State-equipped first-aid boxes should be mandatory. When a bus travels from Mumbai to Indore (or anywhere else in India), passing through various cities and bypasses, prominent hospital locations should be identified.
Hospital contact numbers should be displayed inside the bus, ambulance contacts should be readily available, and the driver should know how many toll plazas will be crossed.
Consider it analogous to a flight plan -- a pilot knows what cloud formations and air pressure changes to anticipate. Similarly, the driver should possess a comprehensive road plan: Toll plazas, major hospitals, road conditions, repairs, diversions, and dangerous areas.
Only through such preparation can we save lives. Otherwise, simply sitting in the driver's seat and pressing the accelerator -- anyone can do that. That does not constitute professional operation of a passenger transport vehicle.