Dont blame us,motorists must be more careful: PWD

Two days after a 28-year-old Afghan national was burnt to death after his car crashed into an under-construction concrete central verge on the Rao Tula Ram flyover,the Public Works Department and Traffic Police said they could not be held responsible for the incident.

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Two days after a 28-year-old Afghan national was burnt to death after his car crashed into an under-construction concrete central verge on the Rao Tula Ram flyover,the Public Works Department (PWD) and Traffic Police said they could not be held responsible for the incident.

PWD officials,however,visited the site on Friday morning and held deliberations with the Traffic Police. They have decided to put up additional signages along the flyover,alerting motorists to the construction work being taken up at the centre of the structure.

Early on Wednesday morning,Mohammad Qasim rammed a Honda City into the central verge,making it veer to the left and crashing into the barriers. The car caught fire and Qasim,who was strapped to the seat,was burnt alive. The others in the vehicle three Afghan men and two women were rushed to the hospital. While Mohammad Idris is said to be critical,Ahmed Khalid,Sherula,Haseena and Athra are out of danger.

According to police,the group was returning from a nightclub in a Gurgaon mall.

Following their visit to the accident site,PWD officials claimed that the incident had nothing to do with the under-construction central verge because it was a case of drunk driving.

The central verge has to be constructed,and work is going on. Around 104 of the 300 barriers have already been constructed,and work will continue. As this is a congested stretch,construction will take time, said a senior PWD official.

Nevertheless,we are in talks with the Traffic Police. We plan to put up more signages along the flyover,so drivers are adequately cautioned about the construction work.

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The Traffic Police said nothing much could be done until construction of the central verge was completed.

People need to be more careful while driving on the stretch,and must make sure that they do not speed at night. We have asked the PWD to put more signages on the road. It is a difficult stretch as it is very narrow,and has to accommodate two-way traffic, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Satyendra Garg said.

When policemen are not present at night,people tend to speed,leading to

accidents. The central verge is meant to prevent accidents like these,and until it comes up,motorists simply need to exercise caution while driving on the stretch, he said.

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The flyover,constructed ahead of the Commonwealth Games,has been at the centre of much controversy as it has led to

major traffic bottlenecks in the area.

The RITES was called in to conduct a study to assess long-term solutions for traffic issues on the Outer Ring Road,from IIT Gate to

NH-8. The report is likely to be submitted to the PWD by December.

Qasim,who migrated to India from Kabul four years ago,got married in 2010.

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