Three Injured After Two MSRTC Buses Collide on Pune-Nashik Highway

Manchar, 26th June 2024: Three passengers were injured in an accident on the old Pune-Nashik highway at the Manchar-Shewalwadi section in Ambegaon Taluka when one Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus rear-ended another MSRTC bus. Fortunately, all 46 passengers from both buses escaped major harm. Three to four laborers working in a nearby cement factory, who had sought shelter from the rain, narrowly avoided a major accident. The incident occurred on Tuesday (25th June) evening around 5:30 PM.

The MSRTC bus from Shivajinagar Depot, traveling from Pune to Ale Phata, experienced braking issues after crossing the bridge at Shewalwadi. The driver, Lakhan Rathod, attempted to stop by moving the bus to the left side when the bus from Saswad-Pune via Nashik approached from behind. The driver of the second MSRTC bus, Tatya Sarpotdari, was unable to control its speed and collided with the stationary bus ahead. Both buses sustained significant damage in the accident.

Injured passengers from the Nashik-bound bus, Dipaji Devaji Dhakare (59) and Kantabai Dhakre (residents of Ambegaon), along with Arjun Dharma Kuradkar (53) from Pune, were treated at Sub District Hospital, Manchar by Dr. Priya Chavan and her team of doctors. Dr. Chavan reported that the injured were in stable condition.

Balaji Suryavanshi, Depot Head of Manchar MSRTC Depot, visited the accident site and provided reassurance to the passengers. Alternate transportation was arranged for the passengers to continue their journey on other MSRTC buses. Santosh Mandge, a police constable from Manchar Police Station, conducted the investigation and completed the panchnama.

A witness at the scene commented, “The accident occurred near a factory that manufactures cement pillars, windows, and other items. Workers from Uttar Pradesh are employed there, and there is usually a rush of customers. Fortunately, due to the rain, there were no workers or customers present at the time, which prevented potential loss of life.”