Bhubaneswar, Oct. 8: Another accident at Dhauli hills yesterday afternoon has once again proved how the government has failed to deliver on its promise to ensure safe transport for visitors to the international peace pagoda.

Yesterday at 1.30pm, a tourist bus was coming downhill when it suddenly discovered that its airbrake had failed. Soon, its helper ran towards another bus plying ahead of it and urged its driver to slow down the vehicle so that the malfunctioning vehicle could roll down and rest on its back.

Though no one was hurt in the incident, but it raises concern about the safety of tourists with the stretch witnessing several accidents in the past.

On October 10 last year, tourism and culture minister Ashok Chandra Panda announced that big buses would not be allowed to the hilltop. A year on, the process to replace big buses with smaller ones to ferry tourists from the foothill to the hilltop is yet to begin.

"The bus, which lost its brake, luckily had no tourists inside. Had there been people inside it, the impact would have been serious," said Sumanta Subuddhi, a local trader.

Sources said that according to the plan, around 50 shops would be constructed near Parabodhi pond. "Once the vendors are shifted to the complex near the pond, the plying of big buses will be stopped and smaller ones will be started,'' said a local tourism official.

When asked, Panda told The Telegraph: "The department is going to invest around Rs 2 crore to get specially-designed small buses to ferry tourists from the foothill near the parking to the hilltop and vice-versa. We will engage an operator for the smooth management of the business."

Earlier on October 9 last year, a young engineer from Bengal died on the spot when a tourist bus met with an accident near Dhauli.

On February 15, 2012, a tourist bus from Bengal met with an accident, and all the 60 passengers on board received minor injuries.

On February 7, 2012, a bus with visitors from Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh broke a wall and fell into a 15ft ditch near the pagoda. The driver was alleged to have been driving on a road that was not meant for heavy vehicles.