Chennai: Woman Slips Through Hole In Floor Of Moving Govt Bus, Injured

A Chennai woman sustained minor injuries after she slipped through a hole in the floor of a moving government bus. The 42-year-old woman's leg was stuck and she was clinging to the floor before fellow passengers alerted the driver to halt the bus. She was rescued and taken to a nearby hospital for first aid. Notably, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus was recently certified as 'fit' by the RTO (Regional Transport Office).

The woman reportedly did not want to file a police complaint. According to a report in The New Indian Express (TNIE), The Corporation has come under fire for its negligence in the inspection and maintenance of the buses. The staff responsible for maintenance have been suspended. 

MTC's Negligence Led To Injury

A passenger on a bus en route to Chennai's Thiruverkadu was injured when she fell through a gaping hole in the floor of the moving vehicle. She clung to the floor until passengers alerted the driver to stop the bus and she was rescued. Just last month, the RTO inspected and verified the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) bus with a fitness certificate. However, the MTC had overlooked the dangerous damage in the vehicle.

Following this, the Managing Director of MTC, Alby John Varghese, ordered the suspension of the manager of Basin Bridge Bus Mintenance Depot and the technical assistant responsible for maintenance. Varghese told TNIE, “We have formed special teams to inspect the buses and their maintenance at the depot. We have assigned officers to inspect depots at night when the buses undergo maintenance. Directions have also been issued to ensure the strength of all MTC buses’ floors.”

He added, "It was a failure on the part of the MTC staff at the maintenance depot to report the damage to higher authorities," adding that the bus had recently been inspected and verified with a fitness certificate by the RTO. According to TNIE, unlike private buses and other heavy vehicles such as trucks and vans, MTC buses are issued fitness certificates for six months instead of 12. However, a majority of the MTC's buses are damaged with broken, windows, or floors.