Bus involved in accident in Guna had no permit, fitness certificate: official

Guna (MP): The private bus involved in an accident in Guna district that claimed 13 lives had neither the permit to operate on the route nor the fitness certificate, an official said on Thursday.

The bus turned into a fireball after colliding with a dumper truck on Guna-Aaron road on Wednesday night.

"The bus had neither the valid permit to run on the route nor fitness certificate," Regional Transport Officer Ravi Barelia told reporters.

Notably, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav subsequently ordered Barelia's suspension for alleged negligence.

Barelia also said that an application had been submitted to the Regional Transport Office by the owner for cancellation of the bus' registration two months back, but it was pending due to non-payment of tax.

The bus was not being used for some time as it lacked permit for the route, but apparently it was deployed on Wednesday to replace another passenger vehicle and met with an accident, the official said.