High-profile accident puts National Highways Authority of India under scanner

The National Highways Authority of India NHAI could not care less about the condition of the roads even though the government body was informed many times about deaths on the MumbaiAhmedabad Highway said an activist Harbans Singh Nanade from All India Vahan Chalak Malak Mahasangh told midday there has been no response to his letters to NHAI or RTIs he filed to know if a safety audit was conductedThe accident on Sunday which claimed the lives of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole and injured two others brought to light the alleged negligence of the NHAI ldquoI have written multiple letters to the NHAI and also filed RTIs to know if the safety audit of the highway was ever conducted But a response is still awaitedrdquo Nanade told middayAlso read 9robbers held for looting steel rods from warehouse on MumbaiAhmedabad highwayThe police at the accident spot on Monday PicsHanif PatelldquoThe engineers have built the road which is of poor quality There are several potholes on the highway which are also uneven in many places However the authorities including the NHAI have adopted the attitude of not caring about the motorists The public is forced to drive on poor roads and risk their lives but the authorities refuse to take the responsibility even if there are deathsrdquo he saidldquoThe NHAI must now look into the issue seriously as motorists are dying because of multiple errors in their road engineeringrdquo Nanade said adding that besides the available figures on deaths many road accident fatalities go unreportedSources in the traffic police department told midday on Sunday that 106 people have died over the past 18 months in accidents on just 52km stretch between Manor in Palghar district of Maharashtra and Achad in Gujarat on the highwayUnpaid billsNanade also alleged that the NHAI has not paid the electricity bill to the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited or MSEDCL which in turn has disconnected the supply This is the reason behind the switched off street lights near the accident spot and near Mahalaxmi temple on the highway he added ldquoThis shows the carelessness of the NHAIrdquo he said Calls and messages to NHAI official Rahul Jalan went unanswered at the time of going to the pressThe car rammed into the divider on the flyover on the highway before Charoti toll naka PicsHanif PatelWhen asked if Palghar police have written to the NHAI to get rid of the blackspots on the MumbaiAhmedabad Highway SP Balasaheb Patil said ldquoYes we have as people have been complaining about regular mishaps at some places on the highway like the junction of ManorJawhar road which is a very dangerous point Motorists travelling from Jawhar to Manor face difficulties while touching the highway So we have given the NHAI some suggestions to build a flyover on the highway to stave off any accidentsrdquoMistry and the other three occupants travelling in a Mercedes car were rushed to Kasa hospital 125 hours after the accident on Sunday The police said the average speed of the car was around 90 kmphThe car crashed into the divider on the flyover over Surya river near Charoti toll naka in Palghar district at 225pm But they were taken to Kasa hospital at 350 pm Palghar district Civil Surgeon Dr Sanjay Bodade told midday on SundaySuperintendent of Palghar police Balasaheb Patil told midday that the Mercedes car in which Mistry was travelling along with wellknown gynaecologist Dr Anahita Pandole her husband Darius and his brother Jehangir crossed Dapchari check naka at 212 pm ldquoIn the footage of a CCTV camera the car is seen crossing Dapcheri check naka at 212 pm and the accident took place around 225 pm The distance between the checknaka and accident site is 21 km which means the average speed of the Mercedes car was 90 kmphrdquo Patil saidEyewitness SpeakYashwant Pachalkar who witnessed the accident told midday he rushed to the accident site and found all four victims unconscious in the car ldquoThe two people in the front seats were moving while one occupant in the rear seat Jehangir had fallen down in the car and the other Cyrus Mistry was lying unconscious on his body We were three people and none of us dared to touch them Later passersby stopped their vehicles and called an ambulance that came after 20 minutesrdquo Pachalkar saidldquoThe police team came after the arrival of an ambulancerdquo he added However Palghar SP Patil said ldquoThe Kasa police received the first call at 234 pm and the police team reached the accident spot within 6 minutesrdquoldquoThe response time of the ambulance should be within 7 minutes or a maximum of 10 in certain casesrdquo he added in response to a query Meanwhile the people from Mercedes examined the car collected the required details and made a video of the vehicle They will submit a report to the police soon said officers