Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh on Wednesday, 17 February, to local residents Shivrani, Lavkush Lunia, and an official named Satyendra Sharma for their bravery in rescuing passengers, after a bus traveling from Sidhi to Satna fell into a canal, which was a part of the Bansagar Dam Project.
The bus, with an occupancy of 62 passengers met with a horrific accident, which took place on the morning of Tuesday, 16 February, near Patna village, 80 km from the Sidhi district headquarters.
Chouhan had visited the accident spot and expressed his condolences to the victims’ families on Wednesday.
He also asked why the occupancy of the bus was twice its seating capacity, and said that strict action will be taken against the responsible parties.
According to Mint, Chouhan was enraged with the negligence of the authorities and has suspended the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) of Sidhi district.
In a statement to reporters, he claimed to have suspended three officials of the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation: The Divisional Manager, AGM, and Manager.
The Satna Police arrested the driver of the bus on Wednesday as well.
After Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for kin of the deceased, Chouhan had earlier announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each, out of which Rs 10,000 each has already been distributed.
The accident occurred when the bus took another route to avoid traffic congestion. Officials claim the death toll is 51, Mint reports.
More than 500 rescue personnel, including the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), were at the site to conduct rescue operations.
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