Traffic movement between Adityapur in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan and Jamshedpur went haywire for more than two hours on Tuesday as a section of Adityapur residents set up blockade on both the Kharkai road and bridge linking the townships. The residents were protesting against the death of 25-year-old youth Deepak Mishra who was killed in a road mishap on Tata-Kandra Raad late in the Sunday night and were demanding the administration a complete ban on the movement of heavy vehicles through the Kharkai bridge. The police had to resort to a mild lathi-charge to control the protestors.
"There has been a spurt in the cases of road mishaps. But the administration has failed to take step in this regard. The people of Adityapur had been demanding to stop movement of heavy vehicles through the Kharkai river ," said Ravi Singh, one of the protestors. As a result of the blockade during busy hours, huge number of vehicles, including two-wheelers remained stranded on both sides of the Kharkai bridges. A police party led by officer-in-charge, Adityapur police station, Ajay Kumar arrived with security personnel and dispersed the protestors by resorting to mild lathi-charge.
Meanwhile, the Adityapur police have registered a case under section of murder against the driver of the dumper which caused the mishap after Anil Kumar Mishra, father of the mishap victim, claimed by lodging an FIR that it was not a road mishap, but a murder. Officer-in-charge, Adityapur Kumar confirmed to have registered a case under Section murder as the aggrieved family pointed out that there was an enmity between Deepak and the driver of the dumper No JH0J-7908 a few months ago.
Following the fatal mishap on Tata-Kandra Road in Adityapur at 10 pm on Sunday, the local residents had torched as many as six heavy vehicles, including three dumpers and damaged over a dozen cars by stone pelting. Sources said heavy vehicles coming out of industrial units of Adityapur are the worst offenders. Instead of keeping left and then taking a U-turn after a kilometre or so, these trucks hurtle down the wrong side, facing oncoming traffic and risking the lives of hundreds on two or four-wheelers.
“There are no traffic rules on the Tata-Kandra Road. Drivers have to be alert throughout the stretch and dodge vehicles coming from the wrong side,” said a senior official of Gamharia based company.