ON Oct 4, a private school van carrying girls rammed into some shops in Buner district when the driver lost control of the vehicle due to over-speeding. He fled the scene of the accident, leaving the girls at God’s mercy. The heartbreaking news struck Buner like a bolt of lightning.

The accident took three lives on the spot, while others suffered serious injuries, some of them critical. The injured were rushed to hospital but the pathetic condition of our district headquarters hospital was akin to adding insult to injury.

Buner is home to almost 900,000 inhabitants; this hospital is insufficient to cater to the population’s needs. There is only one room available for each male and female patient, and sometimes they suffer in agony while standing in queues to get first aid treatment. But our cries have fallen on deaf ears.

This tragic accident has drawn the veil from the tall and empty claims of our so-called rulers. The authorities concerned are obliged to take immediate action against the traffic department of Buner to awaken it from its deep slumber. They should take initiatives to replace old, faulty school vans, and train and induct licensed drivers, in order to prevent such fatal accidents in the future.

Engr Shahid Ali

Buner

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2017