Bhandari Bridge mishap claims life

Manmeet Singh Gill
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, January 7

A 28-year-old woman from Mumbai died in a road mishap at Bhandari Bridge here on Sunday. The victim, identified Jahanvi, along with her mother, was travelling in an autorickshaw that collided with a car, resulting in the mishap. The duo had came to visit Golden Temple.

Her mother Neha Naresh reported to the police that had hired an autorickshaw for their hotel on the Queen’s road after reaching the city. She stated that a “speeding” car with a Delhi registration number, coming from the Gol Bagh side, hit their autorickshaw. Jahanvi was critically injured. She succumbed to her injuries before reaching a hospital.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Rakesh Kumar at Durgiana Mandir police post, said the driver of the car had been identified as Jasbir Singh of Mohalla Loharan. A case under Sections 304-A, 279, 427 and 337 of the IPC has been registered, he added.

The Bhandari Bridge is considered the traffic lifeline of the city as it connects the old walled city with the Civil Lines area. It often leaves drivers from other cities or states confused. A total of 11 roads converge at the bridge where traffic chaos is a frequent phenomenon.

Though cops are deployed here to keeping a watch on the traffic throughout the day, their absence during the late night and early morning hours is sometimes seen as an opportunity to drive rashly. “After the opening of two new extensions to the bridge, it has become a little easier to cross the bridge but at the same time it has added to the confusion as some of the motorists find it difficult to figure out where to go.

A driver coming from outside the city gets confused as he or she is not aware of the route suitable to reach the destination,” said Kuljit Singh Malawali, a lawyer. He suggested that display boards for each route should be prominently displayed to help the drivers.