Four pople died and six others were seriously injured in two separate accidents reported from Tehri and Dehradun districts in the State on Wednesday. In Tehri district, three people died on the spot and two others were seriously injured when the car they were on slipped into a deep gorge around lachhmoli near Kirtinagar on Wednesday. The incident occurred around 5 am. The Kirtinagar police acted swiftly after being informed by the local residents and swung into rescue and relief operation. The injured are - Mayank Badoni (12) and Basanti Devi (45), resident of Devprayag. They have been admitted in the local hospital, Srinagar. The deceased have been identified as Jotram Bangwal (70), Daulatram Bangwal (55) and lokanand Badoni (55), residents of Devprayag, said Mukhtar Mohsin, Superintendent of Police (SP), Tehri while talking to The Pioneer.
The utility was going to Gopeshwar from Rishikesh, said Mohsin. The Police officer said that five passengers were on board in the car which met the accident, adding that the driver losing control seeing another car speeding from the opposite direction had resulted in the mishap.
In another accident that occurred in Premnagar, Dehradun, one person died and four others were seriously injured when the car they were on slipped into a gorge at Jhajhra bridge. The mishap occurred at around 12.30 am as the driver lost control of the vehicle on Wednesday. The injured persons are Akshay Rana, native of Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh), Manish and Satyapal, native of Himachal Pradesh, Iyakat, native of Chandigarh and they were admitted in the local government hospital. later they were transferred to Doon Hospital. The deceased has been identified as Deepak Pundir, native of Saharanpur, said Jhajhra police station in-charge Girish Negi. Police said over-speeding might have been responsible for the mishap. Whether the driver was drunk was being investigated, police added.
With road accidents increasing in the state, the role of the State Government is being questioned. Two or three cases of road accidents thanks to either drunk driving or over-speeding are being reported from various parts of the state almost daily, runs the refrain.
Critics opine that accidents are on the rise, notwithstanding the official claims of initiatives being taken to control things. “Drunk driving accounts for a big share of such mishaps in various parts of the State.
“Driving in an inebriated state has become an anathema for the people. Unless it is reined in effectively accidents would continue taking toll of lives,” they added.