Traffic disrupted on Jamshedpur’s Marine Drive after speeding trailer hits divider

Slum dwellers put up blockade protesting rash driving by heavy vehicles

Jamshedpur, Sept. 15: A long queue of heavy vehicles welcomed the commuters on Kadma-Sonari marine drive as traffic movement remained disrupted for more than two hours on Tuesday morning.

The local slum dwellers blocked the road protesting rash driving by heavy vehicles on the road and callousness of the police.

The blockade took place when a speeding trailer hit a platform on the marine drive along Bagey Bustee under Kadma police station area at about 1 am on Tuesday.  Though no one was injured in the mishap, the residents of the slum had surrounded the trailer driver and the vehicle, demanding protesting against the rash driving.

The bustee dwellers said that the heavy vehicle damaged the railing and could have caused fatal injury to bustee dwellers.

As the slum dwellers were demanding an answer from the trailer driver surrounding him, a police party arrived there.

The slum dwellers protested in front of the police official and asked if there was any speed-limit rule for the heavy vehicles on the marine drive.� The police official said that the slum dwellers would have received compensation had there been mishap. The police picked up the driver and took him along to the Kadma police station.

A few Congress activists led by Sikha Chaudhury, did not allow any vehicles to pass, demanding suspension of the police official.

The blockade had been set up at about 10 am and cleared by noon �after the OC, Kadma police station, Ranjit Kumar assured the protestors that they would find out the police official who made such irresponsible comments after a mishap took place there.

Notably, a motorable marine drive from Kadma connecting to Mango bridge was set up in 2006 with the work lying pending at several stretches of the marine drive due to encroachment hurdle.  But after the Adityapur toll bridge became operational in July 2011, leading to the plying of heavy vehicles on the marine drive, the condition of the marine drive deteriorated fast.  As a result of which the Tata Steel prompted to initiate steps for reconstructing a four-lane marine drive.

Lack of deployment of police personnel is also one of the reasons for reckless driving. Marine drive links the steel city to Adityapur through Adityapur toll bridge on the one side and to NH-33 through the Mango bridge on the other side. Moreover there is not a single speed-breaker despite the fact that over a dozen slums exist along the  marine drive.