Millennium City records 8 deaths, 30 accidents daily

GURUGRAM: The high-speed collision between Skoda and Swift Dzire that killed four people including a six-year-old girl on Tuesday is not the first case of such deadly accidents in Gurugram.

On an average, there are eight deaths and 30 accidents occurring daily in Gurugram. For a city that is witnessing about 48,000 vehicle registrations in a year, deadly accidents continue to be a major challenge.

Latest data on National Highway-8, the most accident-prone stretch in the city reveals that from the month of January to March there have been 184 accidents killing 64 commuters. Each year there is list of more than 1000 accidents that are reported from National Highway.

The year, 2016 has recorded 1201 accidents including 420 deaths. While in 2015, out of 1142 accidents there were 435 deaths.

Other places in Gurugram like Golf Course Extension road, Sohna road MG road, and Gurugram- Faridabad road paint the same picture.

While a lot of work may be going on presently to enhance the city's road infrastructure, shortage of traffic police personnel and faulty road designs have been cited as major reasons by experts for the rise of such accidents.

Recently, the public authorities have started initiating action against overloaded heavy vehicles plying on the city expressways as they too have been considered as a reason behind the accidents.

For over 8 lakh vehicles that ply in the city daily, only 64 Gurugram traffic police personnel are present for traffic management. To meet the demand of rising traffic, the cops have recently inducted more than 100 police personnel for better management.

Commuters highlight that how faulty road designs and flouts of rules by many has been acting as a catalyst for the accidents.

"To begin with there are no proper cuts and diversions for commuters. There is also the negligible action taken by authorities on overspeeding and rash driving. There is also no system of the three wheelers and private buses plying in the area," said Rajeev Verma, a resident.

He also stated that the area remains jam-packed due to the ongoing construction activities. "So, most of the two wheelers try to violate the traffic rules and makes themselves as well as other susceptible to acci