In six months, 50 lives lost in mishaps on Sonepat highways

Mukesh Tandon

Sonepat, June 30

As many as 50 persons have lost their lives in around 110 serious mishaps reported on the highways only in the district in the past six months. Illegal cuts, overspeeding, darkness, miscalculations of speed and lack of facilities pose risks to the lives of commuters on the highways.

However, a total of around 240 accident cases have been registered in the district in which 96 persons have lost their lives and 132 persons sustained injuries in the accidents in the past six months.

Two expressways, Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) and Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal (KGP); three national highways, NH-44, NH-334B and NH-73 A, are crossing through the district. Recently, a major accident was reported on NH-334 B in which three MBBS students were burnt alive while three sustained serious injuries in the accident. As per the data available, the district witnessed 8 deaths on the highways in January this year; 7 in February; 5 in March, 8 in April, 12 deaths in May while 10 deaths in June.

According to the data, 21 serious accidents was reported in Kharkhoda; 30 in Kundli; 19 in Murthal; 22 in Rai and 18 in Gohana city police stations on the highways. Besides, the other link road accidents have been recorded separately, the police record says.

Besides, a total 125 persons died and 105 sustained injuries in 151 accident cases on the KMP and the KGP expressways in 2021. Of which 103 persons died, 83 got injured in 123 accident cases reported on the KMP last year while 22 persons lost their lives, 22 sustained injuries in 28 accidents on the KGP in the Haryana area in 2021.

Anand Dahiya, DGM, NHAI, said, 70.5-km stretch of NH-44 (from Mukarba Chowk in Delhi to Panipat) was with the NHAI and it would be an access controlled highway and no median cut would be left on this stretch. We have also planned if any median broke, then we will seal that area with the crash barrier on both sides, he added. As much as 87 per cent work of NH-44 has been completed, he added.

Besides, the median is only 12 metre but we have identified two-three points on NH-334B, he said. Dahiya further said high-speed on the highways was a major cause for accidents and drunk driving should also be checked properly on the national highways. Besides, awareness to commute over these speed highways is also mandatory, Dahiya maintained. RP Vashisth, manager, HSIIDC, said, “the KMP is being maintained by HSIIDC and a concessionaire. Maintenance on the highways is a regular practice but breaking of barriers and theft of lights is a major cause of tension for the department and concessionaire as well as for the commuters”, he added. The maintenance work on the KMP has been underway for the past three months, he added.