Victims blame govt, say tragedy was avoidable

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 13

Residents of Doraha blamed the apathy of the government and politicians for the accident. They said it was not the first time that a tanker got stuck under the bridge. It often happened when heavy vehicles, especially tankers and overloaded trucks, tried to pass under the flyover, they said.

In today's incident, the lid on the rear side of the tanker was removed after it hit the ceiling of the flyover and gas started leaking.

The recommended height of a bridge is 18 feet. Usually, tankers have a height close to 15 feet. However, in many cases, the tankers are modified to transport more material. The height calculations go awry if the road surface is high.

Davinder Singh, a local resident, said: "We have asked the administration to install iron barriers near the bridge to prevent the entry of heavy vehicles. But the administration showed no concern over the matter."

Meanwhile, Charanjit Singh Atwal, Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, said: "I will discuss the matter with the Chief Minister. The issue will be addressed soon, so such incidents do not happen again."

Weather to the rescue

Despite five persons losing their lives and around 190 affected by ammonia gas leak, the local residents were seen thanking the weather gods for coming to their rescue. Last night, when ammonia started leaking, the weather was calm. The residents say had there been winds blowing, the tragedy would have been severe. Doraha witnessed heavy rain this afternoon. Rajinder Singh, a gas expert from Verka Milk Plant, said the rain had helped dissolve the gas particles.