Selected to be pilot, her dream crashes

GURGAON: Twenty-four-year-old Anita Kataria had qualified as a pilot in the Indian Air Force and was to join from the first week of July. But her childhood dream met with a tragic end on Wednesday.
Anita was riding pillion with her friend, Ashish, when their scooty was hit by a garbage collection truck in the busy Palam Vihar area of Gurgaon. While Anita succumbed to her injuries on way to hospital, Ashish’s condition is critical.
According to police, the accident took place around 4pm when Anita and Ashish — both MTech students at ITM engineering college in Sector 23 — were returning home from the institute.The scooty, which belonged to Anita, was being driven by Ashish when the accident took place.
Cops said the truck belonged to Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG). ‘‘The accident took place at a T-point in sector 23. The boy took a sharp right turn and suddenly saw a truck coming from front. He swerved in a bid to avoid an accident but the truck driver also moved in the same direction. As the truck was speeding, the driver lost control and rammed into the two-wheeler,’’ said the SHO of Palam Vihar police station.
The scooty was dragged by the truck for several hundred metres, said police. ‘‘It first bumped into the pavement and came to a halt only after ramming into a tree. The truck driver managed to flee,’’ the SHO added.
Sources said that the two victims were rushed to Columbia Asia Hospital where the girl was declared brought dead. ‘‘The boy is still critical and is in ICU. He has received serious injuries, specially on the head,’’ said a senior police officer. Police added that a hunt was on to nab the accused driver. He is an MCG employee.