Jamshedpur youth killed in road mishap on NH-33

Jamshedpur, Jan 9: A 25-year-old youth was killed and another was seriously injured as the bike they were riding was hit by an unidentified heavy vehicle at Baliguma on the NH-33 under MGM police station area on Monday morning.

The deceased was identified as Fatu Mahali, a resident of Haludbani in Patamda and the injured is identified as Ravi Mahali (26) who is also a resident of Haludbani and has been admitted at the Tata Main Hospital where he is serious.

The victims were on their way to a place in Ghatsila sub-division for working at a construction site as the mishap took place.

According to police, the mishap took place at a time when the stretch on the NH-33 had no commuters.

“ We are investigating the incident. The two bike-riders might have been hit by a heavy vehicle. But as there was no eyewitness of the mishap, we will collect CCTV footage for finding out the vehicle involved in it, ” said the OC, MGM police station Raju.

Cases of road mishaps at the stretch between Baliguma and Ghatshila on National Highway 33 are on the rise.

A police official said that due to lack of check posts, reckless driving is also on the rise. More in the last one decade the rise of vehicles particularly, four wheelers have registered manifold increase with each family possessing at least two-wheelers on an average.

“ We have found that the drivers of heavy vehicles driving on NH 33 are very careless. The buses are always overloaded and four or five passengers often hang on the foot board. They are fond of overtaking and over speed. For as soon as they get into their vehicles they seem to forget all about the world except themselves. We want the drivers to be instructed to be more active to see that the traffic rules are more effectively enforced on the drivers. Prevention,they should be made to realise, is,in all circumstances better than cure,” said the official.

A traffic official admitted to lack of technology to detect speed demons but tried to put up a brave front. “We admit that we do not have the technology to catch or prosecute speed demons. However, that does not mean that speed restrictions should not be imposed on NH 33 in view of the rise in road mishaps,” he noted.