Belagavi: On september 3rd 2014, M.B. Uppar, driver with NWKRTC’s Belagavi division, who had driven his bus to Mumbai, as per the roster and schedule, collapsed near the toilet at the Mumbai Central Bus-Stand on the morning of September 4 and was admitted to Mumbai Nair Hospital of Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation at around 9 a.m in an unconsious condition. Strangely he went missing soon thereafter, and has not been found till date. The tragedy is that though he was on duty when the incident occurred, his family of five — wife, three girls and one boy — has not been paid anything by the corporation.

Co-workers, conductor B.K. Nadaf and driver B.H. Bagali, said Mr. Uppar was in an unconscious condition when they took him to hospital. The doctors advised various tests, including blood, X-ray and CT scan. When his colleagues came back to the ward on the 7th floor after completing the formalities, the unconscious Uppar was not on his bed. Hospital authorities said he might have walked out. Mr. Nadaf and Mr. Bagali filed a complaint with the jurisdictional police.

The KSRTC Staff & Workers’ Federation said it was highly suspicious that an unconscious person could walk out of the ward. The corporation should have made efforts to trace him, including filing of a habeas corpus writ petition before the Bombay High Court, Federation general secretary H.V. Ananthasubba Rao said in a letter to NWKRTC Managing Director.

He said the presumption of death after seven months does not apply in this case as the driver did not go missing from his house, but during the course of duty. The employer is responsible to his family. Besides demanding filing of writ petition, he also urged NWKRTC to pay full salary to his family.

NWKRTC Managing Director R. Vinothpriya told The Hindu the board of directors would soon take a decision on payment of sustenance allowance to Mr. Uppar’s family. She said the corporation was making all efforts to trace the driver.