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Kanpur traffic jams prove fatal for 74-year-old cardiac patient?
According to the family of the deceased, after crossing Govindpuri bridge, the ambulance encountered its first traffic jam at Fazalganj crossing, losing nearly 10 minutes. After moving past that stretch, it got caught in another snarl at Mariampur crossing, where traffic police personnel and home guards were attempting to ease congestion. A third jam on Lajpat Nagar road near a school delayed the ambulance for nearly 20 more minutes.
A 74-year-old Kanpur resident died of a cardiac arrest on Thursday after the ambulance carrying him allegedly remained stuck for 41 minutes in three successive traffic snarls on the city’s main route to the cardiology institute of GSVM Medical College — a journey that should normally take only a few minutes.
According to the family, Ramchandra Shukla, a resident of Saket Nagar Sabzi Mandi, collapsed at home around noon. His son-in-law, Anil Tripathi, placed him in a private ambulance at 12:29 pm and rushed towards the cardiology institute.
After crossing Govindpuri bridge, the ambulance encountered its first traffic jam at Fazalganj crossing, losing nearly 10 minutes. After moving past that stretch, it got caught in another snarl at Mariampur crossing, where traffic police personnel and home guards were attempting to ease congestion. A third jam on Lajpat Nagar road near a school delayed the ambulance for nearly 20 more minutes.
The ambulance reached the hospital at around 1:10 pm, where doctors declared Shukla dead on arrival. “He had the attack around noon,” Tripathi said, adding, “At every crossing we thought we were through. We weren’t.”
Shukla is survived by his wife Kamla, daughter Rachita and two sons. His elder son, Abhishek, a software engineer based in London, received the call and immediately connected with the family over video, only to find his mother inconsolable and his father already dead.
According to family members, Abhishek’s employer sought documentation before granting emergency leave. A death certificate issued by the cardiology unit had to be emailed before he could book a flight. He is expected to arrive in Delhi on Friday morning. His younger brother, Ritesh, an engineer in Noida, was on his way to Kanpur. The cremation will be held after both sons arrive.
On his part, DCP (traffic) Ravindra Kumar said the traffic police had not been informed about the difficulties faced by the family while transporting the patient.
“We have issued a 24x7 green corridor helpline number. Once information is received on the helpline, police make all necessary arrangements,” he said.
Kumar also disputed the family’s account of the delay, claiming that the ambulance reached the hospital in 19 minutes. “It is incorrect to say that it took 41 minutes,” he said.
Previous incidents
The incident is not an isolated one. Since August 2025, at least seven people in Kanpur have reportedly died after medical emergencies were delayed by severe traffic congestion.
Among the reported cases, two people — Ram Dayal of Kaushambi and Munna of Shuklaganj — died in September 2025 after being stuck near the Medical College flyover.
In August that year, Barkha Gupta of Dabauali died near Shastri Chowk while being taken to a hospital. Vandana Mishra also failed to reach hospital in time after traffic movement was halted on Govindpuri bridge during a visit by former President Ram Nath Kovind.
In another case, a pregnant woman lost her newborn after remaining stranded for eight hours on the Kanpur-Hamirpur highway during Metro construction work.
Ram Avatar of Sambi village in Bithoor, who was injured in a tractor accident, died near Bithoor Tiraha after Metro construction-related congestion in Kalyanpur blocked his route to hospital. Aklim of Bakarmandi, injured in a road accident at Maharajpur, died inside an ambulance stuck at Ramadevi crossing.
Ravi Kumar, a Delhi resident visiting relatives in Shastri Nagar, lost his elderly mother while taking her to LLR Hospital in an autorickshaw.
Traffic congestion in Kanpur has worsened as Metro construction has narrowed several key stretches across the city, diverting traffic onto roads already operating beyond capacity. Traffic personnel continue to remain deployed at major choke points, including Fazalganj, Mariampur and the Medical College flyover, but ambulances continue to get caught in prolonged congestion.
