No lessons learnt from woman's death in mishap, stretch still waterlogged

A day after the reported suspension of the BDPO-Phillaur following the death of a woman on the waterlogged stretch of the Jalandhar-Phillaur highway on Tuesday night, the inundation at the spot remains unchanged. Villagers reported that the persistent waterlogging on the highway caused yet another accident today.

The 13-year-old boy, whose mother died on Tuesday, has been rendered orphan. With no other relatives of the woman at the village, he is now under the care of villagers.

Paramjit Kaur (45), a resident of Indira Colony, Phillaur, was going to the Nagar village in Phillaur when the inundated highway caused her Activa scooter to lose balance. The scooter had fallen and the woman was run over by a truck coming behind the scooter.

Angered with the perennial water woes on the highway near Nagar village, villagers placed her body on the highway and held an irate protest on Tuesday night.

Another protest was also held on the highway on Wednesday. The last rites of the woman were held today.

The villagers said they had been trying to get the problem addressed for months, but their complaints fell on deaf years and the situation persists even after the accident.

Sarpanch Charanjit Singh's relative Nirmal Singh said, "There is water accumulated even today on the same spot. When vehicles pass, the water splashes and one more accident took place today. We are fed up with the administration's dilly dallying tactics. We do not know what purpose the BDPO's suspension will serve if the road isn't fixed."

Nirmal Singh added, "We want some land be emptied in the village where excess water could be routed. We have already ensured over 4 kanal land. But can't the administration pitch in to get more land emptied for the routing of water. This work must be done so that people stop losing lives in accidents."