Rashly-driven truck claims cyclist’s life

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 17

A rashly-driven truck of the Verka Milk Plant crushed a cyclist to death and injured another near PAU Gate No. 1 on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road early this morning.

The deceased has been identified as Sonpal (28), a resident of Ludhiana. He was a daily wage labourer, while the injured has been identified as Asreef, who was the friend of the deceased.

As per the available information, two cyclists were riding their bicycles on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road, when a speeding truck first hit a cyclist, who fortunately fell on the roadside and escaped with injuries, and then hit another cyclist, who unfortunately got crushed under the tyres of the truck.

As per the eyewitnesses, the truck driver did not stop and instead dragged the cyclist on road for a few metres. It was only when the truck rammed into the roadside divider that it stopped.

When people saw this, they cornered the truck driver who was about to flee from the spot. They also thrashed the driver and later handed him over to the Sarabha Nagar police.

The truck driver has been identified as Deepak. An eyewitness said he was seemingly under the influence of some drugs.

Several vendors selling plants were also standing on the road and the truck was about to hit them as well, but they fortunately had a miraculous escape.

A case under Section 304-A of the IPC was registered against the truck driver.

The Ludhiana Ferozepur road stretch is prone to road mishaps. Several roads mishaps have been reported on the stretch in the past as well. People are seen speedily driving vehicles on the stretch, but the traffic police hardly keep any check over speed violations.

Ludhiana ‘deadliest’, says report

In 2013, 2014, and 2015, around 682 road accidents were reported in Ludhiana, which claimed 710 lives, including that of 246 pedestrians and 90 cyclists. As per the Road Transport Ministry’s report, Ludhiana city has become the “deadliest” in India. The chances of getting killed in a road accident in the city are highest in the entire country with the chance percentage standing at 67. Amritsar stands at the second place with 60 per cent. Even the National Crime Records Bureau’s (NCRB) report says that Ludhiana is ‘number three’ among 53 of India’s biggest cities in terms of the percentage rise in road accidents and consequent fatalities.

Man rams Audi into vegetable vends, hurts 4

A man rammed his rashly driven Audi car into makeshift vegetable vends near Orient Cinema injuring four people on Sunday. Vegetable vendors Shoba Lal and Dalip Kumar said: “Some customers were standing at our vends to buy vegetables, when a speedy and rashly driven Audi car suddenly strayed into the market and damaged some vends and rammed his car against a tree. The driver struggled hard to come out of the car as he was reportedly under the influence of some drugs. The police came and took him out of the car and later to the police station. Charanjit Kaur, who was buying vegetables, also sustained a fracture in her leg. The injured were immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment and were reportedly out of danger. The man driving the Audi has been identified as businessman Kanwar Ganga Singh Kalra, a resident of Sarabha Nagar.  When the police took the driver to Sarabha Nagar police station, instead of rebuking the driver, they reportedly spoke rudely with the vegetable vendors questioning them as to why they install vends on the road. SHO Sumit Sood did not respond to repeated calls. Additional DCP Surendra Lamba said the man driving the Audi instead of taking a turn, rammed it into the vegetable market. The driver was arrested. The police said whether the driver was under the influence of any drugs, would be confirmed only after his medical examination.