Mumbai: It has now come to light that the death of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry in a car accident in Maharashtra’s Palghar district earlier this month was not a one-off incident.
The 100-km stretch of Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway between Ghodbunder in Thane and Dapchari in Palghar district has witnessed 262 accidents this year, claiming at least 62 lives and leaving 192 persons injured, police officers said, according to news agency PTI.
Over-speeding and error of judgement on a driver’s part have played a role in many of these incidents. But officials say that poor maintenance of the road, lack of proper signage and absence of speed curbing measures too are among the factors responsible for the high number of accidents.
The stretch near Charoti, where the Mercedes car in which Cyrus Mistry was travelling met with an accident on September 4, has seen 26 deaths in 25 serious accidents since the start of this year, a Maharashtra highway police officer was quoted as saying.
The stretch near Chinchoti has reported 25 deaths in 34 serious accidents during the same period, while 11 persons have died in 10 accidents near Manor, he said.
“Charoti is a black spot when it comes to accidents, and so is the stretch of some 500 meters beyond it towards Mumbai. The road curves before the Surya river bridge as one travels towards Mumbai and the three-lane carriageway narrows into a two-lane one, he said.
“But there is no effective road signage or speed-curbing rumblers warning vehicle drivers before they reach the bridge,” the official pointed out.
The safety-related guidelines of the Indian Road Congress seemed to have been overlooked by those who are responsible for the maintenance of the road, said another official, according to the report.
While the road comes under the purview of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), the private agency which collects toll has the responsibility of maintenance, he added.
