Mishap rate high on Zirakpur-Lalru stretch

Rajiv Bhatia

Zirakpur, November 29
The rising number of accidents on the Zirakpur-Lalru road at National Highway-22 in Mohali district has become a matter of concern.

Going by the police records, around 84 persons were killed in 156 road accidents from January to November.

Even after one year of the four-lane of Chandigarh-Ambala Highway, no improvement has been seen in terms of rising number of accidents on this stretch.

Approximately one life is lost every day in the road accident at this stretch.

Most of the victims were two-wheeler riders or those travelling by cars and auto-rickshaws.

Maximum numbers of hit-and-run cases are reported regularly. According to the police, loaded trucks, tractor-trailers, buses and other speeding vehicles were involved in 90 per cent of the accidents.

In Dera Bassi, on November 27, two motorcyclists were killed after they were run over by a speeding truck near Janetpur village on the Dera Bassi-Ambala Highway.

In Lalru, a 22-year-old girl was killed after being hit by a speeding truck on the Ambala-Chandigarh National Highway.

Last week, Sandeep Doda, a resident of Zirakpur, was killed after being hit by an unknown vehicle on the Chandigarh-Ambala Highway near Singhpura village in Zirakpur.

Also, 52 mishaps were reported in which 34 persons lost their life, including 31 men and three women, while 35 persons were injured in various.

As per the information provided by the Lalru Police Station, 50 accidents were reported in which 30 deaths, including 28 men and two women.

Around 104 persons were injured in road accidents this year. As compared to 2008, more than 61 accidents were reported till date in which 33 persons lost their lives and 44 were injured.

In Zirakpur, 54 accidents occurred in which 22 persons were killed, including 16 men, five women and one child.

More than 70 persons were injured. In 2008, 36 accidents were reported out of which 21 persons died.

Raghav Gupta, a Panchkula-based advocate, said drunk driving was one of the biggest causes of accidents.

In past few years, there is an increase in liquor vends on highways. He said the traffic police should put nakas in the night and must conduct breath analyser test. Drunk drivers must be challaned, he added.

Nandna, a social activist, said the authorities concerned should put reflectors on the roadsides and speed limit boards should be mentioned along the highway.

She said the marriage palaces and dhabas along the highway had no parking lots, as a result visitors parked their vehicles along the highway.

The local administration should check on such violations, she added.

However, Mohali SSP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, said he held a meeting with Mohali DC Prabhjot Singh Mand, regarding the issue. "We are planning to set up an advisery committee to solve the problem,” he added.

Zirakpur traffic lights in disrepair

Rajiv Bhatia

Zirakpur, November 23
Traffic lights installed at various intersections here have been out of order for some time, causing long traffic jams on the highways.Traffic lights at all three traffic intersections here have not been working, leading to inconvenience to motorists.

In the absence of traffic lights, motorists have to face difficulty crossing the intersection. Daily commuters said the authorities concerned should take the matter seriously and ensure the repair of the traffic lights on a priority basis.

Amardeep Singh, a resident of Dera Bassi, said: “Traffic snarl-ups are commonplace at the intersections due to the non-functional traffic lights.”

“In spite of paying toll on the highway, the authorities concerned have failed to give facilities to motorists,” he said.

Another commuter asserted that policemen present at the intersections were often seen talking on their mobile phones and failed to carry out their duty properly.

The DSP (traffic) said: “We have written to the NHAI officials many a time to ensure proper working of the lights but nothing had been done so far.”

On the other hand, NHAI officials claimed the the traffic lights would be made functional in a couple of days.

Goalkeeper Baljit eyes comeback in global circuit

Rajiv Bhatia

Dera Bassi, November 22
Ace hockey goalkeeper Baljit Singh is eyeing a comeback in the international circuit with the Commonwealth Games next year. He had returned from the US after three surgeries in the right eye last month only. Now, his aim is to focus on the Commonwealth Games and for which he has already started light practice and fitness training.

He said as per doctors, he would get full vision in the next four to five months. “Now my eye is better, I will be fit to represent India again,” Baljit added.

Giving his best wishes to the Indian hockey team for the coming World Cup, Baljit said the young players were talented and fit. They are working hard and hopefully they will win the World Cup for India.

Defending the selection of Rajpal as the team captain, he said it was a wise decision of the coach and federation.

Elaborating, he said Rajpal was the senior most and confident player after Sandeep, who was currently out of the team due to an injury.

Claiming that there was not in-fight in the team, he said the team stood united.

He said as far as he was concerned, he had not received any support from the Punjab government.

He is hoping that the state government will help him and think about him in future. He also appealed to Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to think about him.

Baljit was sent to the US in August after a golf ball, with which he was practicing during a camp in Pune, sneaked through his helmet’s visor and damaged his right eye. Baljit said he wanted to wear the goalkeeper kit and play for India again.

Residents face MC apathy

Rajiv Bhatia
Tribune News Service

Dera Bassi, November 12
Due to negligence of the Dera Bassi Municipal Council, heaps of garbage can be witnessed in different parts of the area. Residents alleged that the authorities concerned failed to fulfill their duties efficiently.

A large chunk of garbage was witnessed on the court road, Mubarikpur road, Dera Bassi-Chandigarh Highway near Barwala road and other places.

Sources in the MC stated that more than 10 dustbins had been kept in various localities. The Dera Bassi Municipal Council spends nearly Rs 1.10 lakh on the sanitation work, he added.

However, one of the MC councillors stated that no MC meeting had taken place from the past few months affecting the development and other works of the area.

Mahesh Kumar, a resident of Dera Bassi, said it was difficult for schoolchildren to cross the tehsil road as piles of garbage were lying in open.

Sanjeev Bagga, another resident, asserted that the local bodies should try to solve the problem because the weather was changing and the city was already in grip of viral related diseases. However, MC officials claimed that the cleanliness drives were conducting on regular intervals.

NHAI to instal traffic lights near Dera Bassi bus stand

Rajiv Bhatia


Dera Bassi, November 20
For smooth flow of traffic on the Dera Bassi-Ambala highway, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has decided to install traffic lights near the Dera Bassi bus stand. The traffic lights would be installed within in the next 15 days.

The other work related with the highway like foot overbridges, proper rainwater drainage system, two bus queue shelters with green belt, beautification below the Zirakpur flyover, widening of roads from both sides of the highway would be started early next year, an NHAI official said.

In August this year, the SDM, Dera Bassi, the DSP, the NHAI director, drainage department and MC officials had visited Zirkapur, Dera Bassi and Lalru areas.

They had discussed the problems that the residents faced while commuting on the Chandigarh-Ambala and the Zirakpur-Kalka highways.

During the visit, the local administration asked the NHAI officials to re-work on medians on the Dera Bassi-Ambala highway.

The administration had also asked the NHAI to maintain the drainage system along the highways especially near Bhankarpur village.

Officials said to solve the waterlogging problem on the highway, the department has also planned to extend the highway’s drains till Ghaggar river. Official sources said two steel foot overbridges in Dera Bassi and Bhankarpur would be constructed for pedestrians. The Zirakpur MC had also written to the NHAI officials for NOC to set up a green belt under the flyover. NHAI officials said they would meet the MC officials to discuss the matter in coming week.

The NHAI’s project director, Anil Dahia, said the minutes of the meeting were forwarded to the higher authorities for approval and traffic lights would be installed in 15 days.

He said after getting the approval, the work would be started on priority.

SDM, Dera Bassi, Punit Goyal said they will discuss the matter with NHAI officials to start the work as soon as possible.

Zirakpur MC building in a shambles

Rajiv Bhatia

Zirakpur, November 8
Though Zirakpur is developing at a fast pace, the district administration seems to have forgotten to upgrade its own municipal council building that is crying for a makeover.

The building of Zirakpur municipal council is in a shambles. A Grade I category municipal council building, which had been repaired a number of times during the past years, is presently in a very bad shape.

The residents complained that there were no proper sitting arrangements for visitors and the parking problem also prevailed. They also demanded the MC office should be at some open place with proper parking facility.

However, MC officials claimed that the civic body was planning to construct their new building for which the plans were in the pipeline.

According to information, the MC office is running in a community centre, which was inaugurated in 1995. The foundation stone at the MC office shows that the building was constructed when Zirakpur was a gram panchayat. Though Zirakpur nagar panchayat was upgraded to municipal council in 2007, nobody bothered to upgrade the MC office.

There are 19 rooms divided in cabins at the MC office where around 28 employees are working. There are no fire extinguishers, sand bucket or water hydrant system available in the office to control any untoward incident.

Some employees working in the office, on the condition of anonymity, said the roofs of some rooms leaked during rains and cracks had developed in the walls. The roof of their room could collapse any time, they added.

Sources in the civic body said as the population in Zirakpur was increasing by the day, public dealing had also increased. They revealed that the authorities had identified a barren land for the MC building and the site would be finalised after approval from the local administration.

After that, the matter would be put up at the coming MC meeting. Sources also said the processes to prepare the map for the new MC building had been started for which a private architect had been hired.

Naresh Sharma, a resident of Zirakpur, said the MC building was in bad condition and despite of repeated reminders the authorities concerned were not paying heed.

Sales tax barrier adds to traffic woes

Widening of Highway
Sales tax barrier adds to traffic woes
Rajiv Bhatia


Zirakpur, November 5
The multi-crore project of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to widen the Ambala-Zirakpur national highway is of no help to motorists plying on the road, all thanks to the Punjab Sales Tax authorities.

Considering the consequences, tax barrier has been shifted on the Zirakpur-Chandigarh highway near Chandigarh. Besides parking of goods’ trucks, which is hampering the flow of traffic, traffic jams are a usual affair here.

The blockage on the road also causes minor accidents. On October 31, as many as 40 students of DAV School, Malout district, Muktsar, had a narrow escape when their bus collided with an Indica at the sale tax barrier. Though there was no injury, the car was damaged from one side.

A survey of the area reveals long queues of trucks waiting to get their documents checked. In the absence of streetlights, chances of road mishaps have also increased during the night.

According to information, earlier, the sale tax barrier at Zirakpur-Ambala highway near Singhpura village was causing traffic due to shortage of parking space. The barrier has also led to the loss of many lives in road accidents. The concerned department had shifted the barrier to Zirakpur-Chandigarh. The department claimed that there was enough space for parking of vehicles, but the parking problem was not solved, as a result trucks along with other vehicles were parked on the roadside.

Anand Sharma, a resident of Ambala, said it was difficult to drive on this track during night, as there was no signboard indicating about the sale tax barrier.

The concerned department must install blinkers to indicate commuters about the sale tax barrier, he added.

“In absence of traffic police, truck drivers park their trucks as per their wish,” said Varun Sharma, a resident of Zirakpur.

Talking to The Tribune, truck drivers asserted that they were also facing parking problems, but they have no option except to park their trucks on the roadside.

DSP Dera Bassi JS Khaira said the sale tax barrier was causing problem in the smooth flow of traffic during VIP duty. He said it was a serious issue and sale tax barrier must be shifted to some open space. “We have also written to SSP Mohali,” he added.

SDM Dera Bassi Punit Goyal said they were getting several complaints. “We have forwarded the complaints to higher authorities,” he said.