Roads without streetlights turn into killing fields

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Roads without streetlights turn into killing fields
times news network
Bharuch: Developing city of Bharuch is badly in need of proper traffic arrangements. Lack of indicator and streetlights on main roads of Bharuch have taken nine lives in separate road accidents in the last one month alone.
About 24 sq km of Bharuch city is having 7.5 lakh vehicles and their number is increasing rapidly.Yet, there is not a single signal to guide the traffic properly. In fact, the traffic infrastructure is so poor that many main roads including College Road, station to Panch Batti Road, Maktampur to Jhadeshwar Crossing do not have streetlights and indicators. The newly constructed dividers are also without light reflectors, a likely reason for fatal accidents.
In May 2009, nine people lost their lives in road accidents. On May 22, Diya Patel, 33, a resident of Mangal Darshan Society died when a dumper driver struck her while she was trying to park her moped near illegally constructed vegetable market at Tulshi Dham area of Bharuch.
In one another incident, a school-going girl Reema Shah died when a state transport bus collided with her Luna at Kasak crossing of Bharuch. Reema was studying in Mumbai and had come here on vacation.
One NRI Yusuf Patel was seriously injured and hospitalised when a car driver struck him from behind on Link Road. He succumbed to injuries after three days at a Vadodara-based hospital.
There are many such incidents in which locals have lost their loved ones for the same reason poor traffic infrastructure. Ramji Solanki of College Road, said, "We have demanded streetlights for this road but nothing has happened so far. When Chief Minister Narendra Modi was supposed to come at Bharuch for chintan shibir, the administration had erected streetlights with the help of local industries. However, these streetlights are not functional anymore."
The traffic police also blames the administration for the poor traffic infrastructure. Police officials from district traffic brigade, said: "Nagarpalika is not allowing proper parking facility. Hence parking has become a problem. We have demanded reflectors but nothing is moving."