Kathmandu, March 14: A government committee set up to examine the deadly bus crash in Dhading has handed its findings to Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal.
The panel was formed after a passenger bus veered off the road and plunged down the bank of the Trishuli River at Bhaisegauda in ward 5 of Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality. The crash killed 19 passengers and injured 25 others.
The accident occurred on February 23 when the bus, bearing registration number Ga 2 Kha 1421, was travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu along the Prithvi Highway.
A seven-member taskforce led by Joint Secretary Rishiram Tiwari from the Ministry of Home Affairs Nepal carried out the investigation. The committee spent about two weeks reviewing the incident before submitting its report on Friday.
Other members of the team included Senior Superintendent of Police Bhuwaneshwar Tiwari, Senior Superintendent of Armed Police Force Bharat Khaniya, General Secretary of the Federation of Nepal National Transport Entrepreneurs Kiran Kumar Khadka, Rakesh Maharjan from the Department of Roads Nepal, and Shrikanta Yadav, a director at the Department of Transport Management Nepal.
Undersecretary Brata Raj Paudel from the Home Ministry served as member secretary.
According to the report, several factors appear to have contributed to the crash. Investigators believe the driver lost control of the vehicle. Fatigue from long driving hours, night travel and possible distraction may also have played a role.
The panel has suggested a series of measures aimed at preventing such tragedies in the future. These include the introduction of a system to track driver fatigue in public transport vehicles, limits on working hours for drivers operating night buses, and mandatory rest breaks. The report also calls for digital monitoring tools to be installed in passenger vehicles.
After receiving the report, Minister Aryal said the government would move quickly to act on the recommendations and work toward improving road safety in the country.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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