RTI reveals Chandigarh witnesses large number of deaths in road accidents
14 Sep, 2013
An application was filed with the Chandigarh Traffic Police under the Right to Information seeking to know the details of the road accidents that occurred in the city during the period from January 2011 to May 2013.
The reply from the police reveals huge number of deaths occurring due to road accidents in the city and that majority of people dying are pedestrians. As per the reply, a total of 456 accidents took place on the roads of Chandigarh in which 159 persons were killed, including 72 pedestrians and 27 cyclists.
The reply states that among the pedestrians, 26 were killed in road accidents in 2011, 29 were killed in 2012 and 17 have already been killed in 2013 till May. Out of these, 26 were women and 12 were children. Among the cyclists, 11 were killed in 2011, 14 died in 2012, and 2013 has witnessed 2 deaths as of May. Out of these, 8 cyclists, including 3 children, have died in last eight months. Sources in traffic police said that the reasons behind the large number of cyclists being killed include encroachment of cycle tracks, their absence and lack of adequate policemen.