Who caused medico’s death?

As Tasdeeq Bushra, 19, was trying to avoid craters on a badly maintained road, a truck hit her, killing her on the spot

Callous road maintenance has snuffed out a 19-year-old girl’s life, and her distraught family is seeking action against the officials concerned.

Tasdeeq Bushra was hit by a BBMP truck on Saturday when she was trying to avoid craters on the Lingarajapuram-Hennur main road. The first year medical student was riding a two wheeler, and died on the spot.

Syed Mushtaq Ahmed, Tasdeeq’s father, walked into the Fraser Town police station on Monday to file a complaint against the truck driver responsible for her death.

“I know that I will never get back my daughter by filing a complaint, but I don’t want more lives to be lost because of sheer negligence. It is scary to think people who leave home in the morning won’t return, all because of bad roads and rash driving,” Mushtaq told Metrolife.

Tasdeeq was returning from her first day at Bangalore Medical College when the accident occurred at 11.30 am. “She was just 10 minutes from home when I got a call about the accident. We are still in shock,” he says.

The family lives in Karamchand Layout in Lingarajapuram. Tasdeeq, her father says, always wanted to be a doctor and serve the people. She got a good rank in NEET and got her medical seat on merit.

“That was the first day we saw her wear a doctor’s coat with a stethoscope around her neck. We were so proud that her dreams were coming true,” he says.

Tasdeeq was particular about following traffic rules. “She would always turn on the indicator when she took a turn, even if the roads were empty. She was a better driver than me and I would admire her patience when it came to coping with traffic,” he says. She was wearing a helmet when the accident occurred.

She was popular in the family and had a large circle of friends. “We lost such a beautiful human being. All that is left for us are memories of her smiling face and warm ways,” he says.

Mushtaq, his wife Sajeeda Begum, son Syed Mateen Ahmed, and Tasdeeq lived in Dubai for 20 years before returning to Bengaluru four years ago.

“Our son is in Class 8 at JSS High School. Our daughter also completed her Class 11 and 12 in Royale Concorde International School,” he says.

BBMP blames Bescom, and vice versa

The BBMP was quick to file a complaint against Bescom, blaming it for digging up the spot where the accident took place. Bescom officials, in turn, are blaming the BBMP for not doing their part of the work. “The lack of coordination between three agencies – BBMP, Bescom and BWSSB — is not new. One blames the other and citizens are at the receiving end,” a senior BBMP official says. A nexus between the MLAs, corporators and BBMP contractors also leads to the delay and negligence of road work, he says. “Most contracts are bagged by people favoured by the MLA or corporator. The money is siphoned off and no work gets done,” he says.
East Bengaluru, which includes areas such as Fraser Town, Cox Town, Hennur and Lingarajapuram, has always remained neglected, although it is one of the fastest developing areas in Bengaluru, he says.

Citizens’ concerns

Several citizen groups have raised their voice against the poor condition of the Hennur Main Road. Subramanian K, core member of Hennur Taskers, a community initiative with about 4,000 followers on Facebook, regularly discusses problems related to poor infrastructure. He says the road between Lingarajapuram and Hennur has remained ‘pathetic’ since 2016. “The authorities assured us that work would be done by May 2020, but the pandemic proved a great excuse. They say they don’t have labourers to complete the tarring, but they have had labourers to dig up the roads,” says Subramanian. He says even the patchwork done on the roads are now wearing off. With schools and colleges reopening, more youngsters will be using their two-wheelers. “The authorities should repair the roads before more lives are lost,” he says.

Accidents caused by potholes

G Veena, 21, was riding pillion behind her older sister, who swerved to avoid a pothole on their way home. As the two-wheeler slowed, a truck hit them from behind. They fell and the truck ran over G Veena, killing her on the spot.

Forty-seven-year old Radha Ajanappa was killed when her nephew who was riding the scooter applied a sudden brake when he tried to avoid a pothole. Radha got thrown off the scooter and died instantly after a truck ran over her.

Anthony Joseph and Sagai Mary were killed when a bus knocked down their two-wheeler. Joseph was trying to negotiate a pothole.

BBMP chief promises action

Gaurav Gupta, administrator of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, says he will act against the officials concerned if the accident occurred on account of bad road conditions. “I have asked for a report. Field level officers will be questioned and held accountable because they have been provided with all infrastructure, including hot mix plants and gangs, to complete the work,” he said.