The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh Government on a petition seeking directions to the authorities to check an unusually high number of tribal deaths in road accidents in Siddarth Nagar district of the state.
A Bench of Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justice DK Jain asked the Uttar Pradesh Government to respond to the PIL filed by one Pankaj Kumar Mishra, who alleged that about 1,500 tribals have been killed in accidents in Siddharth Nagar district since 2003.
Petitioner’s counsel DK Garg submitted before the bench that due to unusually high number of accident deaths the 145-km stretch from Robertsganj to Shakti Nagar in eastern Uttar Pradesh has been nicknamed as the 'killer road.'
He sought adequate compensation for the families of the poor and illiterate Dalit tribals killed in accidents. The victims are killed due to rash and negligent truck drivers who often ply on the road in large numbers, the petitioner submitted.
Despite there being 20 police stations and 25 offices of the Forest Department on the said stretch about 500-600 tribals were being killed in road accidents every year, the petitioner submitted. He complained that the authorities concerned have failed to take proper steps to check the accidents so far.
{{/usCountry}}Despite there being 20 police stations and 25 offices of the Forest Department on the said stretch about 500-600 tribals were being killed in road accidents every year, the petitioner submitted. He complained that the authorities concerned have failed to take proper steps to check the accidents so far.
{{/usCountry}}In an estimated 90 per cent of the accidents, victims were unable to identify the hit and run vehicles, mostly trucks, Mishra submitted in his petition.
Email Satya Prakash: satya.prakash@hindustantimes.com