Accident victim's family begins online campaign for safe roads

City-based urban planner and architect Kadambari Badami, actively involved in promoting road safety is among the nearly 400 people killed in accidents involving BMTC buses in the City in the past five years.

The fatal accident that claimed 37-year-old Kadambari’s life on March 2, 2014, near Rajanukunte on Doddaballapur Road has prompted her family members and relatives to start an online campaign ‘Not-A-Statistic’ that seeks a concrete action from transport officials, urban planners and citizens concerned to check such incidents.

Kadambari’s husband Mayur Vamanan, who has taken a lead in this regard, told Deccan Herald on Tuesday that through online movement they would fight for bringing accountability among BMTC drivers whose ‘reckless driving and unruly behaviour’ were causing great hardship to the public.

“We do not want anyone else to go through what my wife underwent. Drivers must be made accountable and awarded harsh punishment,” Vamanan said.

Nearly 1,000 people have already joined the closed group social media campaign on Facebook and around 150 more have shown interest to be part of the 10-day-old campaign, he said.

Vamanan, Director (Consulting) at Chinalytics, said the closed group campaign also provides information pertaining safe driving, traffic rules, safety measures for pedestrians, details of government agencies working towards it and officials involved.

It was a fateful Sunday for Kadambari who was on her way to Rajanukunte, when a BMTC bus allegedly trying to overtake other vehicles rammed her car from the opposite direction.

Kadambari was killed on the spot. The driver fled the spot after the accident and it took police four days to arrest him. But the driver made ‘false claims’ that it was Kadambari who had violated traffic rules.

“BMTC officials did not take any action against the driver even after 15 days of the accident. Neither did they bother to get back to me about the progress. We have written to the transport minister seeking appropriate action and urged him to ensure that such incidents do not repeat,” Vamanan added.

The accident occurred when Kadambari, a resident of Cambridge Layout, decided to park the car at her mother’s place as there was some maintenence work taking place near their house, Vamanan explained. 

Kadambari, who hailed from Mumbai, had a degree in architecture and postgraduate degree in urban planning. She was associated with various voluntary organisations as well as Center for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning of the Indian Institute of Science, to promote road safety.

Suspended

BMTC Managing Director Anjum Parvez said Sadiq, the driver of the bus that rammed Kadambari’s car, has been suspended from service based on the report submitted by senior officials.

Sadiq was working in BMTC’s Depot Number 30 at Puttenahalli. He was driving the bus (Route No 285CB) between Kakkehalli on Doddaballapur Road and KR Market.