17 January,2014 03:50 AM IST | | Dheeraj Bengrut
On hearing the conductor’s cry for help, alert citizen Ranjeet Pardeshi jumped onto the moving bus and told the driver to switch to reverse gear to slow down the speeding vehicle, which eventually came to a halt
Timely help: When the brakes refused to operate at a turning on Golibar Maidan Chowk, bus driver Ganpat Aaglave alerted the conductor Mayur Mindhe, who stood before the front door, screaming for help
Around 7.45 am yesterday in Camp area, lives of more than 65 passengers were at risk when a PMPML bus experienced sudden brake failure. The bus was making its way from Hadapsar depot to Malwadi when the brakes refused to operate at a turning on Golibar Maidan Chowk. Realising the impending danger, driver Ganpat Aaglave alerted the conductor Mayur Mindhe who stood near the front door screaming for help.
Timely help: When the brakes refused to operate at a turning on Golibar Maidan Chowk, bus driver Ganpat Aaglave alerted the conductor Mayur Mindhe, who stood before the front door, screaming for help
"When I turned the bus in Golibar Maidan Chowk towards MG Road, I suddenly realised that the brakes were not working. So, I immediately called the conductor for help and he stood before the front of door and started shouting for help to alert people ," said Aaglave.
While the bus was passing through Try Luck Hotel chowk, Ranjeet Pardeshi, who was on a morning walk saw the distressed conductor yelling. Pardeshi' presence of mind led him to leap onto the moving bus. Making his way in, he immediately requested the driver to shift to reverse gear to get the speed of the bus under control.
Recalling the incident, Pardeshi told MiD DAY, "It was a really dangerous situation. The bus was full of passengers, which included schoolchildren. I was on my morning walk when I heard the conductor's cry for help and got onto the running bus."
"Then I went to the driver and suggested that he switch to reverse gear. It was difficult to do so, but finally the bus stopped," added Pardeshi.
The driver had a hard time dodging traffic and alerting passers-by and vehicles to get out of the way. Aaglave said, "I got past a couple of autos and four-wheelers, but I saw some two-wheelers in my way and I was not able to stop the bus. When Pardeshi told me to change to reverse gear, the bus stopped slowly. If it was not for his presence of mind, I guess I would have dashed into 3-4 two-wheelers and a big mishap would have occurred."
After the bus halted, people started beating up the driver. Pardeshi then intervened and explained to the angry crowd that the incident took place because the brakes failed. Later, the passengers were moved to another bus and with the help of a crane the faulty bus was moved from the road.
65: The number of passengers on the bus
