Court grants bail to BRT bus driver

PESHAWAR: A local court on Sunday granted bail to a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus driver, who was arrested on charges of killing a woman while running the bus on trial basis over the corridor. The bail was granted by Magistrate on Special Duty, asking the accused driver to deposit two sureties worth Rs100, 000 each for his release on bail.

As per the police report, the arrest was made on Saturday in Hayatabad after the deceased woman, Lubna’s husband filed a complaint about her death that occurred allegedly owing to the absence of grills around the corridor leaving gaps on either side. The resident of Charsadda, Lubna, who had been working in Hayatabad as a maid, was crossing the road when the BRT bus hit her, killing her on the spot.

As work on the overhead bridges is not complete, the gaps on either side of the track in the corridor are being used by pedestrians to cross the road. The incident also led to the bus service getting suspended while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has also summoned a report about the incident. Meanwhile, the woman was laid to rest in a graveyard in Peshawar. No minister or government official attended her funeral. “No elected representative attended the funeral. It shows the apathy of the so-called champion of change,” said a local after the funeral. —Bureau report