Kolkata: 70-year-old falls while boarding bus, run over

KOLKATA: A 70-year-old woman, who was trying to board a Behala-bound government bus, was run over by it at the Rashbehari Avenue and Purna Das Road crossing close to Triangular Park. Police said the woman, a resident of Barisha in Thakurpukur, met with the accident around 4.25pm on Tuesday.
The victim, Riti Ambuli, was unmarried and earned a living by offering tuitions.Cops believe the woman was probably on her way back home when the incident took place. Cops at the Rabindra Sarobar police station have registered a case of death due to rash and negligent driving and are investigating the case. The driver of the government bus, which plies between Behala 14 number and New Town, has been arrested.
In another incident, a WBTC bus seriously injured a pedestrian around 9pm on Monday. The pedestrian, Usha Rani Saha (70), was trying to cross the road at the Behala Tram Depot when the bus plying between Esplanade and Boral hit the woman. Her condition is critical, said cops quoting doctors.
A recent analysis has found that 19 accidents taking place in the past two months are either due to passengers getting off moving buses, coming in front buses and slipping off the footboard. The most recent one saw a 46-yearold tailor standing on the footboard of a government bus negotiating a narrow and congested road in Haridevpur. The passenger lost his left arm after it was ripped off when the elbow got caught in the wedge of a building’s corner.
“We will begin a special drive in this regard soon. The aim is to inculcate the best practices,” said DC (traffic) Santosh Pandey. The cops said they will be speaking to transport experts and even bus manufacturers in this regard. “The AC buses are the best option. But it is the private sector, whom we want to regulate,” said an officer.