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Shut subway forced IIT-Delhi students to cross busy road
Ashraf Nawaz Khan, 30, succumbed to injuries at Safdarjung Hospital, while Ankur Shukla, 29, is in a critical condition and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital
NEW DELHI: A day after a speeding car ran over two PhD scholars at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-Delhi), killing one, the victims’ friends and family on Wednesday said the only reason the two were crossing the busy Outer Ring Road at night was because the pedestrian subway that connects the nearby Safdarjung Development Area (SDA) market to the institute was shut.
Also Read: IIT-Delhi student killed, friend hurt in Ring Road hit-and-run
Ashraf Nawaz Khan, 30, succumbed to injuries at Safdarjung Hospital, while Ankur Shukla, 29, is in a critical condition and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital. The two were returning to campus after dinner at SDA market when the incident took place.
“The subway opens at 6am and shuts at 10pm. The reason it is shut at night is because ruffians, drug addicts and the homeless start using it, which increases the possibility of crime. What if something happens to a woman crossing the subway at night?” a security guard posted at the subway said on condition of anonymity.
The Public Works Department (PWD), which operates this particular subway, did not officially comment.
However, an official, on condition of anonymity, said pedestrians are reluctant to use subways even during the day. “People risk their lives by not using the facility even during the day. The subways are kept closed at night due to law and order issues,” the official added.
Sewa Ram, professor of transport planning at the School of Planning and Architecture, said such road-crossing infrastructure should not be shut before the closing time of nearby shops and restaurants. “We also observe that the speed of vehicles at night increases significantly as drivers think there are very few people on the road. Traffic calming measures should be deployed on such stretches,” he said.
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