Was there any chance to save senior TDP leader and former Union minister K Yerran Naidu? According to an eyewitness, Yes!

Had the 108 ambulance arrived on time at the accident spot, Yerran Naidu would have survived, the eyewitness felt. "I have called the 108 ambulance from my mobile phone at least a dozen times repeatedly and without any interval. But there was no response. Even a private ambulance that arrived on the accident spot did not have oxygen in it. Otherwise, the leader of the masses would have survived, or at least we believe so," he narrated to mediapersons who visited the accident spot after hearing the news of Yerran Naidu's death in the tragic incident.

"When we took a seriously injured Yerran Naidu to the KIMS hospital, doctors told us that had we bought him a few minutes before, there were chances of his survival and thus we believe that the crucial period of 15 minutes was missed due to delay in the arrival of the 108 ambulance," the eyewitness stated.

However, this was flatly refuted by the EMRI that manages the 108 ambulance service. GVK EMRI chief Siddhartha Bhattacharya said that the 108 service has got a call at 2.17 am that Yerran Naidu met with an accident. Ambulance arrived at the stop in nine minutes of the phone call. By that time he was taken by the National Highway Service ambulance to the hospital, he said.

Exactly at this time, a large number of Yerran Naidu supporters who gathered at the KIMS remembered the late YS Rajasekhara Reddy, who effectively implemented the 108 ambulance service. Unfortunately, the service is being neglected now and they strongly feel it is time the service was implemented more effectively to save such priceless lives.

Sharply reacting to the reports of delay in the ambulance service reaching the spot, Union Minister Sarve Satyanarayana said that if the reports are true stringent action will be initiated against those responsible. And, the National Highway Service ambulance too will be equipped with all the necessary infrastructure and suitable action will be taken why an oxygen was not available in today's service, he added.

- Sakshipost