Overview
- Police arrested the Ama Bus driver who fled the scene and booked him for culpable homicide after the collision at Rupali Chhak that killed auto-rickshaw driver Bishnu Patra.
- The chief minister announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia for the bereaved family, while CRUT offered Rs 2 lakh to the family and Rs 50,000 to an injured college student.
- The transport department constituted a five-member oversight committee led by Usha Padhee, with members including Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena, the Traffic DCP and a senior CRUT officer, to meet every 15 days.
- Planned measures include tighter driver recruitment, a mandatory five-day evaluation and training on skills, safety awareness, lane discipline and conduct, plus regular vehicle fitness checks and close compliance monitoring.
- An enforcement drive began at the city bus stand as autorickshaw drivers staged protests, while officials noted seven deaths and 97 injuries in Ama Bus-related incidents from February to December 2025 and said the inquiry into the latest crash is ongoing.