M. Arunachalam was behind the wheel of a Tirumala-Chennai APSRTC bus on June 3 last year when he suddenly pulled over and parked the bus on the roadside, much to the surprise of passengers.
Seconds later, the passengers found him slouched over on the steering wheel, dead from a cardiac arrest.
There were 28 passengers on the bus, who would have met with a serious accident if not for Arunachalam’s quick thinking even in the throes of a cardiac arrest.
The very next day, on June 4, G.S. Raju was driving an APSRTC city bus from the Visakhapatnam Railway Station to the hill park of Kailasagiri when he felt a stabbing pain envelop his chest. Realising that a heart attack was imminent, Mr. Raju quickly parked the bus on the roadside, saving 56 passengers aboard the bus. Mr. Raju was rushed to hospital where timely medical intervention saved his life.
Arunachalam and Mr. Raju were among a group of seven people honoured by the management of Vellore Institute of Technology-Amaravati on the occasion of Republic Day for their exemplary commitment to duty in a time of crisis. While Arunachalam was honoured posthumously, the others were felicitated with bravery awards at the institution’s campus.
Selfless act
B. Umesh from Uravakonda risked his life to save two children from drowning in a tank at Uravakonda in Anantapur district.
His selfless act of bravery was lauded at the meet.
P. Chakradhara Rao, a driver and operator working at the Kottur Fire Station in Srikakulam district, K. Madhusudhana Rao, a fireman at Palasa Fire Station in Srikakulam district, J. Nagaraju, a fireman at Guntur-1 Fire Station, and P. Rama Murthy, a fireman at Nellore Fire Station, were the other four persons felicitated on the occasion.
Principal Secretary of the Tribal Welfare Department, Ramkumar Sisodia, unfurled the national tricolour. VIT-AP Vice-Chancellor D. Subhakar, Registrar C.L.V. Siva Kumar and others were present.