Odisha: 5 of family killed in car-truck collision on Sambalpur-Bolangir highway

According to officials, the family was returning home after attending a marriage function late Tuesday night when their car rammed into a stationary truck near Chhuinbancha Square

Updated on: Jun 14, 2023, 12:45:30 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Five members of a family, including two children, were killed in a road accident on late Tuesday night in Odisha’s Bolangir district, police said.

According to officials, the family was returning home after attending a marriage function late Tuesday night when their car rammed into a stationary truck near Chhuinbancha Square on Sambalpur-Bolangir National Highway-26.

Atmaj (25), his sister Ipsita Sai, nieces Ria Sai and Mahi Sai and cousin brother Diptiranjan Sai were killed on the spot while his mother Arati Nayak and sister-in-law Rashmita Sai were critically injured, said police. The injured were rescued and moved to a nearby hospital with help from locals, they said.

Also Read: Bus mows down pedestrian in Delhi, angry mob causes damage to vehicle: Police

Road accidents in Odisha increased by 7.6% between 2011 and 2022, statistics released by the state commerce and transport department said. Besides, deaths due to road accidents increased by 24.91% in January and February 2023 compared to January and February of the year 2022, it said. Districts like Deogarh, Gajapati, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kendrapada, Khorda, Malkanagire and Nuapada witnessed growth in fatalities by more than 50%, it added.

To stem the rising number of accidents, the Odisha government has announced an increase in fund flow for raising awareness on road safety.

State commerce and transport secretary Usha Padhee said all the districts are being impressed upon from time to time to initiate education, engineering, enforcement and emergency care measures for the reduction of road accidents and fatalities in the districts.

“It has been decided to provide funds to the DRSCs [District Road Safety Committees] for taking up various road safety activities. Small interventions like the painting of medians, pasting of reflective tapes, conducting awareness programmes and installing close circuit cameras for deterrence may have a significant effect in improving road safety in the districts,” she said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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