quot;Maut Margquot; claims six lives in six weeks

February 15, 1999: A cyclist is struck and killed by an unidentified vehicle.

These are only three of countless accidents which occur with alarming regularity on NH-22, the road between Chandigarh and Panchkula. According to UT Traffic Police, 12 fatal accidents took place on the road between the Transport Chowk light point and the Dhillon Theatre barrier last year; in the first six weeks of this year six lives have already been lost on the same stretch.

Railway Crossing light point, Grain Market roundabout and Transport light point alone accounted for 26 accidents registered last year, out of which 12 involved fatalities. The Transport light point tops the Traffic Police list of the city8217;s ten most accident-prone spots with 12 accidents five of which were fatal.

How many more lives will be lost before authorities wake up and act to make NH-22 safer.

The authorities argue that since NH-22 is the only road connecting Chandigarh and Panchkula, it is inevitable that traffic will be heavy and risk to commuters extreme. Admitting that the road8217;s quot;Maut Margquot; nickname is sadly apt, Traffic Police officials say they are taking steps. quot;We propose to place barricades on both sides of the road to slow down the speed of vehicles in a day or two. Besides, two signboards on either side of the road will be put up just ahead of the narrow railway bridge, cautioning commuters to drive slowly and avoid overtaking,quot; said a Traffic police official.

The Traffic Police wants to prohibit overtaking on this road but officials say an Administration notification is required to make it a quot;no-overtaking zonequot;. The proposal to fence the entire stretch along the Madhya Marg with barbed wire too, awaits the Administration nod.

Officials said earlier cyclists, pedestrians and rickshaw-pullers would be knocked down while attempting to cross the road by climbing over the divider. quot;By erecting iron bars on the entire stretch, we have been able to prevent accidents at least of this kind,quot; said an official. The only open median near the Modern Housing Complex was also closed.

Meanwhile, on Monday, a motorist was describing an incident at the Sector 17 Police Station. He told astonished cops that he was stopped late at night by a ghostly figure who appeared in the middle of the road and demanded help, saying that he was being harassed by policemen.

Is the stretch of road near the Railway bridge haunted? Some policemen and regular commuters think so.