3 killed in 7 days on Nabha's circular road spark public outrage, song composed to mourn deaths

Three deaths in a week on Nabha’s local circular road have triggered widespread anger among residents, who accuse the administration of ignoring repeated appeals to improve road safety on the accident-prone stretch.

Residents said they have been submitting applications for years, urging the authorities to install safety measures on the 4-km-long road, but no action has been taken so far. To protest what they called “administrative apathy,” locals will hold a candle march on Sunday evening to mourn the victims and demand immediate intervention.

The protesting members of the civil society group have also composed a song to mourn the deaths of Nabha residents who have lost their lives recently in road accidents. The poignant lyrics of the song read that the deaths could have been avoided and blame politicians and bureaucrats for their lax attitude. Through the song, the civil society group has urged residents of Nabha to assemble and share their grief.

Notably, a nine-year-old boy, a 19-year-old youth and a 30-year-old man were killed in three separate accidents on the road last week.

Several others have also been injured in recent mishaps. Earlier this week, Ward No. 8 councillor Ashok Kumar Garg was injured in an accident on the same road. He blamed heavy encroachments on both sides for the rising number of crashes.

Dhir Singh, president of the Shiva Enclave Association, said residents have been raising the issue for over two years. “Even 300 locals signed an appeal and submitted it to the Nabha SDM in December last year, but nothing has changed,” he said.

Advocate Reetiqbal Singh pointed out that the road has several intersections but not a single traffic light, speed breaker, or traffic police deployment.

“Encroachments on both sides leave no room to maneuver if someone needs to avoid a rash driver,” he said. “We will walk with candles and slogans from Shahi Samadhan up to the spot where nine-year-old Nehan was killed last week.”

In the past three days alone, three more accidents have been reported on the stretch, though fortunately no fatalities occurred.

Meanwhile, Patiala SP (Traffic) Narinder Singh said he has ordered a survey of the road. Nabha SDM Ismat Vijay added that the PWD Executive Engineer has been directed to identify infrastructure gaps contributing to accidents.

PWD ExEn Gaurav Singla said a technical study will be conducted by Thapar College to determine where speed tables should be installed.