Five vehicles involved in pile-up on highway

Our Correspondent

Doraha, November 13

A total of five vehicles collided near Katani Kalan village on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway due to smog that engulfed the region early this morning. A resident of Ludhiana, who got stuck in one of the vehicles, was taken out by the villagers after four hours of intense labour. The occupants of four other vehicles, however, managed to escape unhurt.

The injured has been identified as Sandeep Singh, a resident of Ludhiana. He got stuck in one of the Canters after the vehicles, including two Canters of Amul Company, collided with each other at 4 am. He remained stuck for around two hours when the villagers of Lal Kalan spotted him around 6 am and launched rescue operations with the assistance of people from the surrounding villages.

Jaspal Singh, a resident of Lal Kalan village, who was among the rescuers, alleged that the role of the administration was negligible in the entire process. “We arranged our own Hydra, cutters, chains, jack etc to separate the vehicles from each other and save the life of the Canter driver. The entire operation lasted for around four hours but sadly enough, we got bare minimum support from the administration. The police arrived when the task was almost accomplished. But we are happy that we could save a precious life through our personal efforts,” he added.

Still another villager was of the opinion that any further delay would have cost lives. “The administration should arrange recovery vehicles at different spots, especially on the highway, so that lives could be saved during the foggy winters,” he said.

SHO, Samrala, Rao Varinder Singh said the accident took place at 4 in the morning due to the sudden smog that engulfed the place. “No casualty was reported. An injured, Sandeep Singh, was taken out from the vehicle in which he had got stuck and was admitted to the Civil Hospital at Samrala,” he said. He, however, denied the allegations of police inaction levelled by the villagers and added that the police personnel were there to provide help and assistance.

SMO, Civil Hospital, Samrala, Dr Tarikjot Singh said that Sandeep Singh had suffered minor injuries due to the accident. He was given treatment and shifted to the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, since he wished to be shifted to his native place.

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