MAPUSA: Serious questions over passenger safety and transport regulation enforcement have emerged after a Nepal-bound bus carrying 147 passengers was detained near Bodgeshwar Temple in Mapusa for alleged gross overloading.
The bus, which had a permitted seating capacity of just 48 passengers, was reportedly carrying nearly three times its authorised capacity.
According to information received, the vehicle had departed from Mapusa Bus Stand with passengers travelling to Nepal to celebrate Diwali with their families. Most of the passengers reportedly work in Goa and hail from areas including Calangute, Margao, Nerul and other constituencies.
Passengers alleged that four to five people were forced to share a single seat due to the excessive overcrowding. Some also claimed to have paid approximately ₹4,000 each for the journey.
In a serious allegation, passengers claimed that police personnel at different points along the route had allegedly accepted payments of around ₹40,000 and allowed the overloaded bus to proceed. They further alleged that such practices had continued for nearly four years. These allegations have not been independently established.
The bus was eventually detained by police in Mapusa, bringing the alleged violation to light.
The incident has raised concerns about how a 48-seater vehicle could allegedly carry 147 passengers and whether similar overloading violations had gone unchecked for an extended period.
With large numbers of migrant workers travelling home during the festive season, the incident has once again highlighted the need for strict enforcement of transport regulations, accountability and passenger safety to prevent a potentially serious tragedy.
