Safety steps still on paper, villagers risk life on e-way

GURUGRAM: A 23-year-old employee of Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar factory was waiting for a bus ride at

Narsinghpur Chowk

, to attend early morning shift at around 5.45am on Saturday. Suddenly, a speeding mini-truck emerged from the haze of dawn and rammed into him, crushing him against cement blocks lying nearby. Sushil Tomar’s friend called his relatives, with whom he lived in nearby Begampur Khatola village. But by the time they arrived, he was dead.

His body was recovered only after after forklift removed the cement blocks which had toppled on him.

Narsinghpur Chowk, where roads from three nearby villages — Narsinghpur, Begampur Khatola and Mohammadpur — converge, is witness to countless accidents throughout the year. After several deliberations to reduce accidents on the stretch, authorities had decided to install thick strips of thermoplastic retro-reflective audible rumble strips on the road, along with signages informing both vehicles and walkers that it’s an accident-prone zone, and crossing it could lead to accidents.

“Since a traffic signal and an underground crossing were ruled out, thick strips made of molten plastic were suggested, to be put up along 100m on either side of the road near the crossing,” said a road safety associate Gurpreet Singh, part of the team which designed suggestions to curb accidents on the stretch.

According to the plan, thinner strips were to be installed at a point where drivers could be alerted in time that it’s an important pedestrian crossing. Retro-reflective material, which is also used on tarmac roads, was to be used, so that it reflected light in the dark.

Signages — with words such as “accident prone” and “be careful”, along with visuals depicting the same — were also planned, to also alert pedestrians. Authorities said this was also planned for Khandsa. However, a month after the deputy commissioner instructed National Highways’ Authority of India (NHAI) to install these measures, there are no changes visible. When the TOI team visited the spot, the median grille had been reinstalled so that pedestrians couldn’t cross the road, but none of the measures were in place.

Villagers said the government’s efforts appear to be directed towards shutting down the crossing. “Old people, pregnant woman can’t use the foot-over bridge almost a kilometre away just to cross the road,” said Sanjeev Bedi, a resident. Experts say unless infrastructure is moulded according to people’s needs, accidents will keep happening in the area.

Official statistics show there were over 40 accidents at this crossing in 2017, in which eight people were killed. However, villagers disputed the figures. “Most accidents are not reported to police as it’s a big hassle. In cases where nobody notes down the vehicle number, there’s no way to identify the culprit,” said a villager.

Police said the mini-truck driver involved in Saturday’s accident was arrested and produced in court, while Tomar’s body was handed over to his family.