Gurgaon: No lights yet in underpass near Medanta hospital

The NHAI said that the DHBVN will take another week to provide electricity to the underpass

Gurgaon Two days after a man riding pillion on a bike died after the two-wheeler collided with a car at an underpass near Medanta-the Medicity hospital, lack of proper lighting inside the underpass has evoked fresh concern from commuters.

Lack of lights in the underpass near Medanta hospital was blamed for the accident that claimed a life on Thursday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said that it will take at least a week for the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), a state-run power utility, to provide electricity connection to the underpass.

“Earlier this month, the NHAI has wrote to the DHBVN seeking electricity connection to the underpass. Work is expected to start next week and, in the interim, two sets of diesel generators are being used to power the lights on a temporary basis,” Saurabh Singhal, a traffic transportation expert and the NHAI’s point person for the underpasses at Rajiv Chowk, Signature Towers and Iffco Chowk, said.

When asked about the absence of 24x7 lighting at the underpass, Singhal added that Gawar Construction Ltd, the contractor for the underpass project, “is responsible only for building the underpass, as per the agreement, and not for installing lights inside it.”

Read I Gurgaon: Genpact underpass set to open by end of March

It was alleged that the car driver couldn’t spot the motorbike due to lack of lights inside the underpass on Wednesday night and rammed the two-wheeler, resulting in the death of Chander Bahadur Thapa, a 30-year-old from Darjeeling in West Bengal. He was a cook at a city restaurant. Thapa’s friend Shiv, a resident of Nepal who was driving the motorcycle, was also seriously injured in the accident.

For residents taking the one-way underpass on a regular basis, the only way to ensure proper visibility inside is to have the headlights of their vehicles switched on while nearing the underpass, regardless of the time of day.

“Before entering the underpass, I make sure that my car’s headlights are switched on. Without the headlights, I am simply not able to make my way and spot vehicles taking the underpass illegally from the opposite direction,” Anand Rungta, a resident of Sector 47, said.

Other commuters echoed the refrain saying that the underpass is rendered pitch dark after sundown. They said lack of proper lighting makes the underpass unsafe for motorists.

“There is a portion of the underpass, located at the point where commuters need to steer their vehicles towards the right, which is completely dark. Often, in the absence of proper lighting, motorists are unable to spot the turn and end up ramming the pavement,” Mayank Gulati, a resident of DLF Phase 4, said.

Deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, in a meeting held with civil engineers on February 22, said that a road action plan needs to be prepared, especially in the light of accidents and mishaps reported on the newly opened underpasses.

The underpass near the Medanta hospital opened to traffic on August 14, 2017.