Guwahati, July 9: A speeding city bus hit a scooty, an autorickshaw and a few ice-cream carts in front of Vishal Megamart in Paltan Bazar early in the day today.

Seven persons, including passengers of the city bus, were injured. The driver of the scooty, along with another person, were injured.

The Beltola-bound city bus, bearing the registration number, AS01X8338, was on its way from Panbazar towards Paltan Bazar when it tried to overtake another bus on the same route. The driver of the vehicle lost control and while taking a turn towards Paltan Bazar, at the end of the Panbazar bridge and hit the compound wall of Vishal Megamart.

"The city bus had been speeding when the driver lost control and hit an Activa, an autorickshaw and a few carts before colliding with the wall of the shopping mall. We are questioning the driver though we have not arrested him yet. Seven persons have been injured," a traffic police officer of Paltan Bazar traffic police branch, said.

The Activa rider, Ajay Kumar Das, who is a student of the Radha Govinda Baruah College and the other person who was seriously injured are currently undergoing treatment at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.

Paltan Bazar police have seized the bus and detained its driver.

A furious mob vandalised the bus and broke its windowpanes, demanding that action be taken against the crew of these buses for flouting traffic rules and putting the lives of passengers as well as the public at risk.

This resulted in a traffic snarl and the road was blocked for close to an hour.

"We were just making our way out of Vishal Megamart when we saw what happened. The speeding bus was plying on Panbazar bridge and was taking a turn towards Paltan Bazaar when it lost control and smashed into the compound of the shopping mall. These drivers need to be punished. They put the lives of many people at risk," Anil Deka, a bystander, said.

"Such incidents of rash driving are a daily occurrence in the city. We often see city buses racing and trying to overtake each other. The transport department should cancel the licences of such drivers who do not even know how to drive properly," said Gita Choudhury, a commuter.

Guwahati traffic police today issued an order prohibiting shops and joints illegally run on the pavements within a 200-metre radius of traffic rotary at Jalukbari as they hamper normal traffic movement and result in congestion.