Tragic Accident Stat: Pune-Ahilyanagar Highway Records 200 Accidents in a Year, 53 Lives Lost

Pune:

After a disturbing accident of a dumper driver came to light in which an inebriated dumper driver crushed nine people to death who were sleeping on the roadside pavement, another shocking statistic comes to light. As per the recent information, around 200 accidents have taken place on the Pune-Ahilyanagar highway in the last year, out of which 72 accidents have been attributed to heavy vehicles. Shockingly, 53 people have lost their lives in these accidents.

Last night, a dumper driver drove the dumper on nine people who were sleeping on the pavement near Kesnand Phata under the influence of alcohol. In this accident, three individuals were killed on the spot, including two toddlers, whereas six people got seriously injured. Police informed that the dumper driver was driving the dumper under the influence of alcohol.

The deceased individuals who lost their lives in yesterday’s accident have been identified as Vaibhavi Ritesh Pawar, Vaibhav Ritesh Pawar, and Vishal Vinod Pawar. Furthermore, the names of the injured individuals are Janaki Pawar, Rinisha Pawar, Roshan Bhosale, Nagesh Pawar, Darshan Virat, and Alisha Pawar. All the injured individuals are receiving treatment at Sassoon Hospital.

Police informed that all the injured individuals in this accident were labourers and had come to Pune from Amravati in search of work. Some others who had slept with the injured individuals are garbage collectors. In this case, Virendra Paramdasji Bhosale lodged a police complaint, and accordingly, police have arrested the accused dumper driver, Gajanan Shankar Totre (age 26, a resident of Kesnand and an original resident of Nanded). Police are conducting further investigation in this case under the guidance of Senior Police Inspector Pandit Rejitwad of Wagholi Police Station.

The Deputy Chief Minister of the state, Ajit Pawar, had commented on yesterday’s tragic accident. He said that a case of culpable homicide has been registered against the driver of the accident. “The police officers have been instructed to include such clauses in this case so that the accused should not be released. Accordingly, a case has been registered against the driver, and instructions have been given to officials to register a case against the dumper owner as well,” he said.

“After such an incident, the state government gives five lakhs as assistance to victim families. If there is a small child, the separate amount is given. I will discuss the matter with the Chief Minister today,” Pawar added. He also said that the entire expenses of the injured individuals would be borne by the state government.

After the accident, Additional Commissioner of Police, Manoj Patil, said, “Around midnight, a dumper driver crushed nine people in the Wagholi area under the influence of alcohol. Three people died in this accident, and six were seriously injured. The injured individuals have been admitted to a nearby hospital and are undergoing treatment. We have arrested the accused.”

Further, Mauli Katke, an MLA of the Shirur-Haveli Assembly Constituency, has said that there has been a series of accidents in and around Wagholi for many years, and 53 people have died in these accidents in the past year. He asked, “Who is responsible for these deaths? As people’s representatives, we will ask for these answers and will launch a big public movement against this in the coming days.”