Kurnool bus accident: Why this stretch of NH-44 is a death trap

The deadly fire on a speeding bus near Chinnatekur village in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Friday (October 24) has rekindled haunting memories of a similar accident that took place 12 years ago in which 45 lives were lost. For many long-distance travellers relying on private buses, this stretch of the National Highway (44) has become a death trap. What’s particularly alarming is that Friday’s tragedy occurred at a spot officially designated as a “black spot” by the National Highways Authority of India.

Also read: Kurnool bus fire leaves 20 dead: People perish in sleep, fully charred

The transport authorities appear helpless in reigning in the recklessly speeding private buses, unlike the Andhra Pradesh state-run (Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation or APSRTC) buses which are more strictly regulated. With only token inspections and fines, enforcement is lax — turning the desperation of passengers to reach destinations quickly into a deadly gamble.

Who is responsible?

National Highway (NH) 40 is a crucial route through Kurnool, with NH-44 being a key junction in the region. NH-40 begins at Kurnool and runs through YSR Kadapa and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh, terminating at Ranipet in Tamil Nadu. The relevance of this mention lies in the horrifying incident involving the Kaveri Travels bus that caught fire early Friday morning near Kurnool, raising widespread concern and the uncomfortable question — who is to blame?

'Black spots'

Records show that the area near Chinnatekur in Kallur mandal, Kurnool, has long been identified by the road transport ministry as a black spot (Black Spot ID: AP-(02)-149, Chain Link: Km 222+000 to 222+500).

Also read: Kurnool bus fire: Hindupur resident saves six passengers from flames

This location was officially recognised as hazardous for the 2019–2022 period by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Several short-term and long-term safety measures were implemented here, including thermoplastic road markings, median edge lines, and signage.

“We designate black spots based on the frequency and severity of accidents,” a National Highways official explained.

As of 2023, 39 black spots were identified across the 251-kilometre stretch between Kurnool and Anantapur (also in Andhra Pradesh) on NH-44. This is a significant rise — from 29 between 2011 and 2014, to 24 between 2015 and 2018, and 36 from 2019 to 2022. The increasing number of black spots correlates directly with the rise in accidents, according to a report from the ministry.

Also read: Deepavali fervour ended in tragedy for two techies killed in Kurnool bus fire

These locations are usually marked to alert drivers and also include designated rest areas for fatigued drivers. However, the lack of adequate patrolling and timely intervention continues to make NH-44 a death corridor.

Where were patrolling teams on Friday?

A key question now being asked is why patrolling teams or officials didn’t reach the accident site near Chinnatekur in time to prevent the bus fire. There has been no official response yet. Police PROs claim officers reached the spot within 15 minutes of being informed — but by then, the tragedy had already unfolded.

“This is neither the first nor the last accident to occur near Kurnool. Let’s take a closer look at past incidents…”

Tragedies that taught no lessons

On October 30, 2013, a Jabbar Travels Volvo bus with 51 passengers left Bengaluru for Hyderabad. As it entered Mahbubnagar limits, it attempted to overtake a car and hit a culvert. This ruptured the diesel tank, leading to a massive explosion. Forty-five passengers were charred to death. Only the driver and helper survived.

The Andhra Pradesh CID submitted a 400-page report to the government, naming R&B officials, the bus operator, and former Tadipatri MLA JC Prabhakar Reddy and his wife in the chargesheet. The report highlighted that illegal seat modifications and placing fuel tanks near the tyres led to the rapid spread of fire. Overcrowding, dangerous goods, and engineering flaws in road construction were also cited. The incident caused a political storm, but the follow-up actions remain unclear.

14 killed in 2021

On February 14, 2021, 14 people from Ammacheruvumitta and Balajinagar in Madanapalle town in Andhra Pradesh died when their minibus — en route to Ajmer in Rajasthan — collided with a private lorry at Madapuram near Veldurthi in Kurnool. Among the victims were eight women, five men, and a child.

Urdu teacher Pathan Mohammad Khan, a relative of the victims of that accident, was devastated by Friday’s bus fire incident. “Some of our relatives were part of that Ajmer-bound group. Two of the deceased were parents of students from ZP High School in Madanapalle,” he recalled with deep anguish.

16 dead in 2019 accident

In 2019, another tragedy occurred near Veldurthi where 16 people from Ramapuram in Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana died. They were returning from an engagement in Guntakal, Anantapur district, when a private travels bus collided with their tempo. The area had already seen 12 accidents in two years, claiming 29 lives. Transport officials attributed it to engineering defects in road construction.

Speeding like the wind

Despite various reports on poor highway construction, Friday’s tragedy has again put the spotlight on unchecked speed of private travel buses.

To cover the 140-km distance between Tirupati and Kadapa, APSRTC buses take 3.5 to 4 hours. Private buses do it in just 2.5 hours — achievable only if they raise their average speed by far.

“Tirupati to Hyderabad is a 580-km journey. Private buses usually have two drivers, and the second one joins 70 km before Kurnool,” said travel operator Mallikarjun from Tirupati. The lack of speed regulation on private buses is a major contributor to both accidents and their severity.

Transport officer Korrapati Murali from Tirupati said, “We’ve recently increased surprise inspections. We fined buses carrying passengers beyond capacity and other minor violations. Given the festive season, we deployed spare buses and conducted rotating checks on different routes each day. This will continue.”

(This article was first published in The Federal Andhra Pradesh)