Mumbai: News of the former chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry The death in a car accident in Maharashtra’s Palghar district earlier this month shook the entire nation.
Official data shows that this was not a one-time incident.
Police officials said the 100-km stretch of Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway between Ghodbunder in Thane and Dapchari in Palghar district has witnessed 262 accidents this year in which at least 62 people were killed and 192 injured.
Over speed and error of judgment on the part of the driver played a role in many of these incidents. But officials say poor road maintenance, lack of proper signs and measures to curb speed are also responsible for the high number of accidents.
The part near Charoti, where Mistry’s Mercedes car crashed on September 4, has killed 26 people in 25 serious accidents since the beginning of this year, a Maharashtra Highway Police official said.
He said that during the same period, 25 people died in 34 serious accidents near Chinchoti, while 11 people died in 10 accidents near Manor.
“Charoti is a black spot when it comes to accidents, and so is about 500 meters towards Mumbai,” he said.
He said the road turns before the bridge over the Surya River as one turns towards Mumbai and the three-lane carriageway narrows into two.
“But there are no effective road signs or speed-stopping ramblers to warn drivers before they reach the bridge,” the official said.
It was here that a high-speed car driven by gynecologist Anahita Pandole collided with a road divider. Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole, who were in the back seat, were killed, while Anahita and her husband Darius, who were seated in the front seat, were seriously injured.
Another official said that it seems that the safety guidelines of the Indian Road Congress, which is responsible for the maintenance of the road, have been ignored.
He said the road comes under the purview of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), but the maintenance responsibility rests with the private toll collecting agency.
The official said that as per the guidelines, an ambulance should be kept on stand-by every 30 kms, and there should also be a crane and patrolling vehicles.
In the wake of the September 4 tragedy, Maharashtra Police has written to the Central Road Research Institute for expert opinion on safety measures and also asked the Central Road Transport Institute to conduct a road safety audit. Highway which is located inside Maharashtra.
Official data shows that this was not a one-time incident.
Police officials said the 100-km stretch of Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway between Ghodbunder in Thane and Dapchari in Palghar district has witnessed 262 accidents this year in which at least 62 people were killed and 192 injured.
Over speed and error of judgment on the part of the driver played a role in many of these incidents. But officials say poor road maintenance, lack of proper signs and measures to curb speed are also responsible for the high number of accidents.
The part near Charoti, where Mistry’s Mercedes car crashed on September 4, has killed 26 people in 25 serious accidents since the beginning of this year, a Maharashtra Highway Police official said.
He said that during the same period, 25 people died in 34 serious accidents near Chinchoti, while 11 people died in 10 accidents near Manor.
“Charoti is a black spot when it comes to accidents, and so is about 500 meters towards Mumbai,” he said.
He said the road turns before the bridge over the Surya River as one turns towards Mumbai and the three-lane carriageway narrows into two.
“But there are no effective road signs or speed-stopping ramblers to warn drivers before they reach the bridge,” the official said.
It was here that a high-speed car driven by gynecologist Anahita Pandole collided with a road divider. Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole, who were in the back seat, were killed, while Anahita and her husband Darius, who were seated in the front seat, were seriously injured.
Another official said that it seems that the safety guidelines of the Indian Road Congress, which is responsible for the maintenance of the road, have been ignored.
He said the road comes under the purview of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), but the maintenance responsibility rests with the private toll collecting agency.
The official said that as per the guidelines, an ambulance should be kept on stand-by every 30 kms, and there should also be a crane and patrolling vehicles.
In the wake of the September 4 tragedy, Maharashtra Police has written to the Central Road Research Institute for expert opinion on safety measures and also asked the Central Road Transport Institute to conduct a road safety audit. Highway which is located inside Maharashtra.