E-Paper
Yamuna Expressway continues to be a ‘deadly road’
FATAL FIGURES Accidents claimed 145 lives in the first seven months of 2019, reveals RTI reply
FATAL FIGURES Accidents claimed 145 lives in the first seven months of 2019, reveals RTI reply
Despite tall claims about enhanced road safety and security measures, the 165-km-long Yamuna Expressway continues to be ‘deadly’.
The first seven months of 2019 have already seen loss of 145 lives in accidents on the expressway as compared to 111 and 146 fatalities in 2018 and 2017 respectively. This was revealed in a reply to an application moved under the Right to Information Act (RTI) by activist KC Jain.
In the reply received on September 12, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority revealed that the year 2019 (till July 31) has already seen 145 deaths on Yamuna Expressway connecting Agra with Noida.
“The year 2013 saw 118 deaths on the Yamuna Expressway, which rose to 127 deaths in 2014 and 142 in 2015. The figure fell to 133 in 2016, but again rose to 146 in 2017. The situation improved in 2018 when accidents on the expressway claimed 111 lives,” informed Jain.
“In 357 accidents on the expressway in 2019 (till July 31), 822 people were injured and 145 killed. The major causes of accidents were over-speeding, tyre blowout and fog,” informed KC Jain on the basis of the reply to the RTI query.
In July this year, at least 29 people were killed and 25 injured when an Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) bus fell into a drain after breaching a barrier along the Yamuna Expressway near Agra early as the driver fell asleep and lost control of the vehicle.
The air-conditioned “Janrath” bus, travelling from Lucknow to Delhi’s Anand Vihar terminal, had more than 50 passengers on board. The accident occurred in Etmadpur, around 200km from Delhi.
