Give medical aid to accident victims, HC tells state govt

Taking a serious note of increasing number of accidents and fatalities on highways across Maharashtra, the Bombay high court has summoned senior officers from the highway police commissionerate and the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).

Taking a serious note of increasing number of accidents and fatalities on highways across Maharashtra, the Bombay high court has summoned senior officers from the highway police commissionerate and the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC).

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A division bench of chief justice Mohit Shah and justice Roshan Dalvi was hearing a public interest litigation filed by a Pune-based NGO, Association for Aiding Justice.

The NGO has sought directions to the state authorities to provide quick medical aid to accident victims on highways stating it would help save several lives.

Counsel for the petitioner NGO, Dipesh Siroya, pointed out that ambulances are provided at a distance of every 50 kilometers on all national highways across the state and the ambulances are fully equipped. “Despite all theses, the accident victims do not get quick medical aid, which in many cases, leads to death of the accident victims,” the lawyer complained.

The judges agreed with his view and sought to know why quick medical aid was not being provided to accident victims on highways in the state. “Quick medical aid should be provided if the ambulances are already available there,” justice Dalvi said, adding, “This could save several lives.”