Usual extortion patrol by UP cops on Friday turned fatal for motorists using the Yamuna Expressway when illegal parking of trucks in the name of vehicle checking led to massive vehicle pile-ups on the carriageway connecting Agra to Delhi.
The local authorities, who have not denied the allegation, promised to investigate the matter as a similar allegation had been made about a year back which caused tragic death of top officials of Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL). Meanwhile, the Expressway authorities informed that zero visibility due to intense fog in the morning resulted in as many as five massive pile-ups on the entire 165-kilometre long carriageway that forced the authorities to stop the high-speed corridor for a couple of hours. As per reports, more than 40 vehicles piled up in these accidents.
The first pile-up was reported at around 8 am on Agra-Greater Noida side when nearly 18 vehicles collided. The passers-by claimed that the local cops, who were on patrolling, had stopped nearly half a dozen trucks about 7 km away from the zero point (Jewar toll plaza). Owing to the zero visibility, cars coming from Agra failed to notice standing trucks and collided with them. The impact of the accident was so high than nearly a dozen motorists suffered severe injuries and were admitted to Kailash Hospital in Greater Noida.
The pile-up resulted in massive jams on the high-speed corridor following which four more pile-ups were recorded within two hours between Greater Noida and Mathura. The second accident was reported nearly 10 km away from the zero point in which four vehicles hit each other. Few minutes later another pile-up took place nearly 26 km away on the same stretch and the fourth pile-up was reported at about 36 km away from the zero point. The last accident was reported at nearly 63 km away or in Mathura area in which a Deputy SP and his gunner got injured.
Veteran Bollywood actress and MP from Mathura, Hema Malini, got stuck in pile-up but she was left unhurt. The impacts of the accidents were so severe that long tailbacks were formed on the entire stretch for nearly four hours. The authorities closed that Expressway for several hours following which normal traffic was resumed. “It was chaos on the plaza that forced us to stop plying of vehicles. As there was poor visibility early morning, it led to a series of accidents,” said a senior traffic official.