3 dead in accident near Borgaon toll plaza, Absence of ambulance raises safety concerns
3 dead in accident near Borgaon toll plaza, Absence of ambulance raises safety concerns
By: Pune Pulse
November 15, 2023
Pune: Ambulance is a primary requirement at any social place such as toll nakas and more. However, it seems that it is not the case with Borgaon toll naka, which is on the Solapur to Kolhapur route, 20 km before Miraj. A terrible accident took place near the toll naka on Wednesday in which 3 people suffered critical injuries which led to their death. Due to no ambulances present at the Borgaon toll naka, they died.
As per further information from a senior journalist Nitin Upadhye, who was travelling on Solapur to Kolhapur route on Wednesday at 12:30 pm, a car hit a two-wheeler vehicle near the Borgaon toll naka. A couple, who was travelling on the ill-fated two-wheeler along with their child, fell brutally. The car didn’t stop to check on the victims. Nitin Upadhye, whose vehicle was just behind the car, followed the car driver. The car driver got fearful & stopped at a hotel to check the damage.
3 dead in accident near #Borgaontollplaza, Absence of ambulance raises safety concerns@NHAI_Official @Highway_Punehttps://t.co/okJaC5Ndco pic.twitter.com/Hc0IwtNJtJ
— Pune Pulse (@pulse_pune) November 15, 2023
By stopping at the hotel, the senior journalist told the car driver to take the victims to a hospital otherwise it would be a case of hit & run. However, the car driver fled away.
The Borgaon toll naka was just 2 km away from the accident spot. The journalist, along with some other people, went to the toll naka for an ambulance but there were no ambulances present at the toll naka. Even the authorities and toll naka officials did not help with this. So, some nearby people arranged for an ambulance & sent them to the accident spot. The 3 victims were taken to Miraj Civil Hospital, however, by the time they could get any medical help, the victims died.
This unfortunate incident has brought a point to the forefront:
Shall an Ambulance be present at Toll Plazas?
The Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India has issued a Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) list in which, for Road Incident Management incidents, it clearly states “Incident Management Services (IMS) shall include Rescue Ambulance, Patrol Vehicle, Tow Away Crane etc.”
Thus, ambulances should be present at all Toll Plazas in the country. However, no ambulance was there at Borgaon Toll Plaza.
Shreyas Vange
