Government ambulance fails to provide succour, victims’ kin charged by pvt vehicle owners

LUDHIANA: The ambulance service, 108, run by the government was not of much use at the accident site as they carried only two to three bodies out of 13. The rest were transported by the NGO, Samvedhna Trust and private ambulance.

Bikramjit Singh, president, Employees Association, Punjab, said, "Of the seven ambulance vehicles stationed at the site, only two were working. The remaining did not have fuel. We have orders to carry a patient till 100kms and we have been doing that. But that day, bodies were carried by the other ambulance. Our salaries have been pending for a month and now, we have received it in parts. Also, we could not fill the fuel tanks as petro cards were not working. Now, we have got salary, the fuel tank has been filled and work has been resumed. But at the time of incident, we didn't carry more than two or three bodies out of 13. We were getting calls from patients but they were denied on the grounds that the ambulance is busy."

A few staff members said they were asked to remain stationed at the site. Family members of the deceased, who were waiting for bodies outside the civil hospital mortuary also said no ambulance was available to ferry the body and private ambulance vehciles charged Rs 700. Chandan, son of Puran Singh, one of the victims, said, "We faced similar problem and the ambulance run by Samvedhna Trust was arranged after a complaint was registered with the civil surgeon."