The demise of Shiv Sangram party leader Vinayak Mete in an accident on the Pune-Mumbai expressway on Sunday has put the spotlight on the ‘Mrutyunjay Doot’ initiative launched by the Maharashtra highway police on March 1, 2021 to offer immediate help to victims of accidents on state and national highways within the golden hour (first hour after a road accident with casualties) to increase their chances of survival. Turns out that the initiative has proved to be a life-saver for several accident victims on state highways, with as many as 1,099 lives having been saved in one-and-a-half years due to prompt action by these Mrutyunjay Doots.
While Mete’s driver Eknath Kadam has claimed that they got a late response from authorities on the highway due to which the ambulance reached the spot nearly an hour late, Mrutyunjay Doots have been known to immediately reach the accident spot, administer necessary first-aid to victims and take them to hospital, thereby saving their lives.
According to the state highway police, 5,350 Mrutyunjay Doots have been appointed in the Thane, Pune, Raigad, Nagpur and Aurangabad regions between March 1, 2021 and July 31, 2022. During the same period, a total 617 accidents have been reported in which a total 1,277 people have been injured. Out of the 1,277 victims, 1,099 people have been saved. As per data shared by the state highway police, Pune has the highest number of Mrutyunjay Doots (2,840) followed by Nagpur (836), Aurangabad (707), Thane (616) and Raigad (351).
Between March 1, 2021 and July 31, 2022, 2,840 Mrutyunjay Doots have been active in the Pune region where a total 153 accidents have been reported in which 351 people have been injured of which 331 have been saved by these Mrutyunjay Doots. The Raigad region where Mete met with a fatal accident has the lowest number of Mrutyunjay Doots (351). Between March 1, 2021 and July 31 2022, there have been 113 accidents in the Raigad region in which 265 people have been injured of which 222 people have been saved by Mrutyunjay Doots. During the same period, there have been 282 accidents in Thane, 28 accidents in Nagpur, and 41 accidents in Aurangabad in which 546, 56 and 59 people, respectively, have been injured of which 446, 47 and 53 people, respectively, have been saved by Mrutyunjay Doots.
{{/usCountry}}Between March 1, 2021 and July 31, 2022, 2,840 Mrutyunjay Doots have been active in the Pune region where a total 153 accidents have been reported in which 351 people have been injured of which 331 have been saved by these Mrutyunjay Doots. The Raigad region where Mete met with a fatal accident has the lowest number of Mrutyunjay Doots (351). Between March 1, 2021 and July 31 2022, there have been 113 accidents in the Raigad region in which 265 people have been injured of which 222 people have been saved by Mrutyunjay Doots. During the same period, there have been 282 accidents in Thane, 28 accidents in Nagpur, and 41 accidents in Aurangabad in which 546, 56 and 59 people, respectively, have been injured of which 446, 47 and 53 people, respectively, have been saved by Mrutyunjay Doots.
{{/usCountry}}Sunita Salunke-Thakare, superintendent of police (traffic), said, “We have launched the ‘Highway Mrutyunjay Doots’ scheme under which we have identified small hotels, dhabas, petrol pumps and tea-stall owners who can deliver immediate help to accident victims. As of now, we have appointed 5,350 ‘Highway Mrutyunjay Doots’ across Maharashtra so that they can work as first responders to accident victims in particular regions.”
Under this, the Maharashtra highway police have identified employees of dhabas, hotels and petrol pumps along national and state highways and trained them in first-aid through private and government institutes as well as NGOs. They have been trained how to handle and lift victims of accidents. The state highway police have arranged first-aid kits and stretchers from local sponsors.