Driver blamed for Dhading bus accident

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 14: The committee investigating the Dhading bus accident has submitted its findings to Minister for Home Affairs Om Prakash Aryal.

A bus, registration number Ga 2 Kha 1421, travelling from Pokhara to Kathmandu, plunged into the Trishuli River near Bhaisegaun, Benighat-Rorang Rural Municipality–5, at around 1:30 am on February 23, prompting the government to form the inquiry committee.

Minister Aryal had instructed a seven-member committee, chaired by Home Ministry’s Joint Secretary Rishiram Tiwari, to investigate the incident and provide recommendations within a week to ensure safer and more reliable road transport. After two weeks of study, the committee presented its report on Friday. The committee included Bhuwaneshwar Tiwari, SSP of Nepal Police; Bharat Khaniya, SSP of Armed Police Force; Kiran Kumar Khadka, Secretary of the National Federation of Transport Entrepreneurs; Rakesh Maharjan, CDE of the Department of Roads; Shrikant Yadav, 

Director of the Department of Transport Management; and Bhrataraj Paudel, Under Secretary of the Home Ministry.

The report examined the cause of the accident, identified negligence or lapses, recommended relief measures for victims’ families, and suggested preventive actions to avoid similar future incidents.

The committee concluded that the accident occurred because the driver was unable to maintain effective control of the vehicle, causing it to veer off the road. Factors such as driver fatigue, night-time operations, and possible distraction were cited as contributing causes. The committee recommended immediate implementation of a driver fatigue management system, enforcing maximum working hours and mandatory rest periods for night bus operations, and introducing mandatory digital monitoring systems in public transport vehicles.

Minister Aryal assured that the recommendations would be implemented promptly. The tragic Dhading accident claimed 19 lives and left 25 people injured.