Three Dead in 8-Km Traffic Jam on MP Highway

At least three people were killed in 30 hours as a massive traffic snarl on the Indore-Dewas highway stretched on for nearly eight kilometres between Thursday and Friday, with the Indore administration springing into action on Saturday. Traffic was diverted to a narrow service lane, which led to extreme congestion and stranded vehicles.

The traffic jam, which began on Thursday evening, continued till late on Friday night with over 4000 vehicles stuck on the stretch, causing chaos and raising serious questions about road and traffic management.

According to preliminary information, the primary cause of the bottleneck was ongoing highway construction work and severe water-logging due to heavy rainfall. Traffic was diverted to a narrow service lane, which led to extreme congestion and stranded vehicles.

The first death was reported on a Thursday evening when Sandeep Patel (32), a resident of Gari Pipalya village, died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital.

\"Sandeep complained of chest pain. We were taking him to the hospital in Mangalia. The car stranded in the traffic and his condition deteriorated. He was declared brought dead,\" Sandeep’s uncle, Satish Patel, said.

The two other deaths were reported on Friday.

Kamal Panchal (62), a farmer and resident of Bijalpur, was on his way to a relative’s house with his family.

\"We were stuck in the jam for one and a half hours. During this time my father got nervous, he complained of heaviness and fainted in the car. He was taken to a private hospital in Dewas, where doctors declared him dead,\" his son, Vijay Panchal, said. The third fatality was Balram Patel (55), a cancer patient from Shujalpur, who was being taken to Indore.

At a high-level meeting held on Friday, Indore collector Asheesh Singh directed officials from NHAI, IMC, Traffic Police, and PWD to ensure uninterrupted traffic movement. \"There should be immediate and visible action at jam-prone points. Coordination between departments is non-negotiable,\" he told officials.

ADM Roshan Rai has been posted to control.

The incident triggered criticism from the opposition.

Congress spokesperson Amit Chaurasia said, \"There has been a huge traffic jam on the bypass for several days. Three people have died. Action should be taken against the administrative officers and police for failing to maintain traffic.\"

BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said, \"The district administration is doing the needful. The traffic jam took place due to rains but officers are on road to take care of it.\"