On the contrary, Pimpri-Chinchwad witnessed a surge of 43% in accident fatalities in 2019, says data released by state govt
In a dramatic improvement with active participation of police and commuters, accident fatalities in Pune city have come down in 2019, making its otherwise congested roads safe for vehicles.
However, the data released by state government on the status of accident fatalities across several districts and towns, Pimpri-Chinchwad has recorded an increase in the number, putting it in the unfortunate bracket of top five zones.
The state government’s road safety department data shows Pune city has witnessed a 19 per cent dip in road fatalities. On the contrary, Pimpri-Chinchwad has seen a surge in the number of accident deaths and has surged by 43 per cent. On the tragic list of fatalities, it claims the second spot.
While the efforts taken by Pune police are worth an applaud considering the strict enforcement in regards with helmet compulsion, continuous nabbing and tracking of drivers who indulge in triple seat driving, driving under influence as well as teens driving without a licence. Ravindra Shisve, the joint police commissioner of Pune city, said, “Last year, traffic remained one of our key areas of work. These improved numbers are the fruits of the same. With constant enforcement, there was a changed perception among people too.”
In the case of Pimpri-Chinchwad, the number of accidents has gone up as some of its jurisdictions belong to the Old Mumbai-Pune highway. Nilam Jadhav, assistant police commissioner of Pimpri-Chinchwad, speaking about the same, said, “We have been taking all the precautions from our side but the same co-ordination is expected from commuters too. We have cancelled licences of around 300 violators and conducted massive drives against autorickshaw drivers too. We hope to see better numbers in 2020, considering the improved enforcement.”
The state witnessed more than 32,000 accidents in 2019 and over 12,000 people have died. The most fatalities were recorded in the districts of Satara, followed by Pimpri-Chinchwad, Aurangabad, Latur and Nagpur rural. Districts like Raigad, Thane, Washim, Ratnagiri and Pune have seen improved conditions.
Navin Mehendale, a transport enthusiast and a PhD scholar from IITBombay who is researching on public transport at present, said, “I have spent all my life in the city and have been living here for the past six months again and researching about the same. The comparison between Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad also happens to be my area of research. The continuous hammering from Pune police about rules and fines has helped in developing sensitisation amongst people; this is missing in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Be it helmet, speeding or triple seat driving — everything is ignored in the twin towns.”
Source: Pune Mirror
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