ICYM and CS Hold Condolence Meet for Trasi Victims
Mangaluru: ICYM and the Catholic Sabha organised a memorial prayer service for the innocent victims of the Trasi accident at the Milagres Jubilee Hall here, on June 27.
Bishop of Mangaluru Diocese, Dr Aloysius D’Souza offered prayers for the souls of 8 innocent victims. All the people gathered paid their respects for all the departed souls by lighting candles and showering flower petals.
Office bearer of Yaksha Dhruva Patla, Purushotham Bhandary said, “Today, we have come together for a meaningful programme. The death of 8 students is a loss, not just for their families, but their school, the society and the nation. Our life is not permanent and the cycle of life and death is unavoidable, but the way we live our lives matters. Children are above the boundaries of caste, religion, politics and other worldly divisions that man has made, and today, we have all come together to pray for them and their families.”
Speaking on the occasion, the president of Child Rights Activists and Parents Association, Advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady said that this tragedy cannot be undone but what we can do, is prevent such avoidable accidents from happening again. “The Trasi accident happened due to lapses in all concerned parties. The Supreme Court guidelines clearly state the maximum passenger limits, but these are not followed. The maximum capacity of an Omni is only 8 but there were 20 individuals that day. The CWC had also sent notices in February to district administrations, police stations and schools that carrying more passengers than that specified in the SC guidelines was a violation, but the notices were not given any importance. According to the law, buses are supposed to have speeds governors but the bus involved in the accident was found with a tampered governor”.
“When the police were asked about this, they replied that they had once fined the bus for a minor accident with a bike and they did not check the governor at that time. The road at Trasi near the school has no traffic signs stating that there is a school or any humps to reduce traffic speed. When my team asked the school authorities about this, they replied that signs had been removed during the road widening work. It was the school’s responsibility to bring this to the notice of the respective Panchayat about this, but they did not. Also, when vehicles that drop students enter schools, the school needs to check if the vehicle is safe for the children.”
He further said, “But the main party at fault here is the government. Article 21A states that it is the responsibility of every state government to provide education to children between 6 and 14 years of age. How can you provide education without providing proper facilities like bus services to access education? Our organisation will hold awareness programmes to bring awareness about SC guidelines in relation to traffic. It is our responsibility to protect the future of our nation.”
