Narrow Palampur roads turn death traps for pedestrians

Narrow roads of Palampur city have turned into death traps for pedestrians. To walk along these roads is no less than a threat to their lives. The rising number of cases of pedestrians being hit by speeding motorcyclists and light vehicles in the city has become a matter of concern for the local administration as well as the police.

Information gathered by The Tribune reveals that in the past six months, at least 20 pedestrians were hit by bikers in different parts of the city. The situation is worse near the Rotary Bhawan, Nehru Chowk, Ghuggar, Cinema and court roads where bikers whizzing past pedestrians pose a greater danger. Recently, a retired employee was hit by a speeding motorcyclist opposite the Rotary Bhawan. He suffered multiple fractures and is bedridden these days.

In front of Major Sudheer Waila’s statue near the SDM’s residence, accidents take place almost everyday. In the past one month, six mishaps have been reported at this point but the local administration has not installed traffic lights there. The situation is similar at the Santoshi Mata Chowk, where also a number of accidents have taken place.

Traffic in Palampur has increased manifold but most of the roads have not been widened and are the same as these were 30 years ago. Idle parking on both sides of the roads in the city aggravates the problem, leading to fatal accidents.

The number of vehicles in the state are increasing at the rate of 10 per cent, which means 1.5 lakh vehicles are added every year and the total number of vehicles registered has crossed 21 lakh. Besides, over 20,000 to 25 000 vehicles enter the state everyday during the peak tourist season.

Kangra district reports the highest number of pedestrian deaths, followed by Una and Baddi due to over-speeding, rash and negligent driving and drunken driving.

A senior police officer says that youths indulge in rash driving, often leading to accidents. The parents of such youths should cooperate with the police and restrict their children from indulging in rash and negligent driving.