A horrifying bus mishap

In what marks as one of the saddest tragedies in recent times, a Hyderabad to Bangalore bus caught fire in Chinna Tekur village on Kurnool highway around 3:30 am on Friday after colliding with a two-wheeler.

Around 20 people, including passengers, died immediately, while many of the injured are battling for life. The transport authorities should cancel permissions to buses that do not meet the safety requirements to put an end to such tragedies in the future.

I often see many bus drivers who create traffic jams with their haphazard driving. The transport authorities should keep a check on drivers at regular intervals and remove all reckless drivers as people’s safety should take precedence.

V Bhagirath Kumar, Hyderabad-72

Bikers should avoid night travel on highways

The ghastly road accident in the small hours of Friday near Kurnool on the Hyderabad-Bangalore highway involving a private travel bus and a two-wheeler is too gruesome and sordid. It is highly risky and therefore not advisable for two-wheeler riders to travel in the night hours.

Seshagiri Row Karry, Hyderabad

Human error claims 20 lives

It is horrifying to note that human error caused a major fire accident on the road in which at least 20 people were charred to death. According to the survivors who recounted their traumatic experience, the accident occurred when a biker collided with the bus and the driver instead of stopping the bus, drove the vehicle with the bike underneath.

Due to petrol leakage from the bike’s fuel tank fire broke out engulfing the entire bus within minutes. It was a clear case of driver’s gross negligence that caused the horrific incident. Quite sad that human error took away 20 lives, including women and children, for no fault of theirs. Strict compliance of rules should be ensured as a measure against over speeding and reckless driving.

Govardhana Myneedu, Vijayawada

Can’t stop entry of those with valid visa

This has reference to your editorial ‘Wannabe Viswaguru should stop deporting scholars’. The argument put forward in defence of the deportation of Francesca Orsini, a London-based scholar known for her contribution to Hindi and South Asian literature. It must be understood that an individual holding a valid tourist visa cannot be denied entry into the country, unless there are some compelling reasons to do so.

The government must be faulted for reasons that are not in the public domain to deny Orsini’s entry. It must be noted that several agencies from different countries are at work to destabilise the country in different ways.

For instance, though JNU has been open-mindedly allowing students to indulge in politics, there are several anti-national and pro-Islamist groups creating negative propagandas against the country. So, let us not jump to conclusions blaming the government when there are restrictions in place against certain individuals owing to security interests from entering the country.

K V Raghuram, Wayanad

Prof Orisini deserves praise,not deportation

On the night of Deepavali, Prof Francesca Orisini was deported from the Delhi airport immediately after her arrival despite her having a five-year valid visa. Oricini is professor Emeritus in the School of Oriental and African studies (SOAC), University of London. Her book “The Hindi Public Sphere” is a Hindi literary masterpiece.

She had been to JNU and is no stranger in India. Her writings and speeches have never ever instigated or attracted any controversy anywhere. One fails to understand why and on what grounds the Modi government decided to deport her. It is shocking that none from the Indian Hindi literary world has come in her support.

Buddha Jagdish Rao, Visakhapatnam

Wind up ill-equipped basti davakhanas

This has reference to the news that many basti davakhanas cannot maintain standards and neatness and have fewer medical consultants. The ever busy are not punctual and therefore many patients wait for them for a considerable time.

There are over 100 such davakhanas in Hyderabad, but many are ill-equipped to handle the stream of patients, most of whom are illiterates and daily wagers. Medical authorities must visit and study the facilities at the davakhanas and wind up when the standards are not up to the mark.

G Murali Mohan Rao, Secunderabad-11