Mahipalpur, Mukundpur shake off killer intersection tag

Mahipalpur Chowk and Mukundpur Chowk had earned the infamous sobriquet of being killer spots when it came to fatal road accidents. But till eight months into 2012, not a single death was reported from these traffic intersections. With this record, police said, the two intersections have managed to shake off that killer spot tag. Subhendu Ray reports

Mahipalpur Chowk and Mukundpur Chowk had earned the infamous sobriquet of being killer spots when it came to fatal road accidents. But till eight months into 2012, not a single death was reported from these traffic intersections. With this record, police said, the two intersections have managed to shake off that killer spot tag.

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This has been made possible, the Delhi traffic police claim, through better traffic management, scientific intervention in road engineering and special emphasis on areas where speeding and drunk driving are common.

In fact, a few other spots such as the Brar Square and Moti Bagh are also close to leaving that infamous list, forever. “Proper traffic management at such killer spots should be the top priority in all urban scenarios,” said KK Kapila, chairman, International Road Federation.

Overall, 20 of the killer spots have seen a decline in the number of accidents. On the flip side, Shastri Park and Nigambodh Ghat — also on that infamous list — have reported a rise in the number of accidents, which Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic), said was “a bit of concern”.

However, across time periods and districts, accident deaths on the Capital’s roads have shown a significant dip for the first time. During the first eight months, the city had registered as many as 1,404 fatal accidents, which this year till August had gone down to 1,136.

District wise, accidents dropped in all districts barring northeast, which recorded 93 fatal accidents in both the years. A significant drop — from 329 last year to 258 this year — was registered in northwest district.

“For the third consecutive year, fatal accidents on Delhi’s roads have declined. What is exemplary is that the decline has been across time periods and districts,” Garg said.

The commissioner also highlighted the fact that the number of accidents have gone down from 194 in 2011 to 164 in 2012, during midnight to 4am, when most of the traffic police personnel are off duty.

“The situation would have been much better during night and morning hours, if we put our men on roads during this time. But with limited resources, this is not possible,” said a traffic police officer.