Pune: Over the past two years, the city has witnessed a concerning increase in fatal accidents. Responding to this alarming trend, the local police have identified 21 major accident-prone areas, often referred to as "black spots," within the city limits. Most notably, seven of these locations are situated along the Pune-Bangalore highway, spanning from Navle Bridge to Dukkar Khind. These areas have collectively witnessed a staggering 104 accidents in the past year.
According to the police, these 21 locations have seen either five fatal or serious accidents or a total of 10 individuals losing their lives (including those involved in one or more accidents) within a 500-metre radius from 2020 to 2022. This information has been forwarded to the Municipal Corporation after analysing accident data from the past three years.
In response, the police have called upon the municipal corporation to urgently implement measures to prevent accidents at these identified spots. However, given that these locations are primarily situated along the highway, questions have arisen regarding the feasibility of the corporation's ability to take action.
The identified accident-prone areas include Katraj Chowk, Dari Pool, New Katraj Tunnel, Opposite Mai Mangeshkar Hospital, Mutha River Bridge (Warje), Dukkar Khind, Navle Bridge, Navle Bridge Selfie Point, IBM Company Campus (Hadapsar), Ravidarshan Chowk (Hadapsar), Kadamwak Vasti, Loni Station Chowk, Theur Phata Chowk (Loni Kalbhor), Tata Guardroom (Chandanagar), Kharadi Bypass Chowk, Reliance Mart (Chandanagar), Kharadi Jakat Naka, Vimannagar Chowk, Airport Chowk, Mundhwa Railway Bridge, and Palkhi Visava Tal (Wadki).
Inspections to ensure helmet compliance launched
The Pune Traffic Police have initiated inspections at various city establishments to ensure that employees are adhering to the recently enforced helmet requirement aimed at enhancing road safety. This directive, issued by the Regional Transportation Office (RTO), encompasses 1,700 offices, including government institutions, IT firms, schools, MIDC companies, and colleges.
Speaking about the campaign, Sanjeev Bhor, Deputy Regional Transport Officer at Pune RTO, said, “To ensure compliance, traffic police personnel have been conducting regular visits to these establishments, verifying if employees are wearing helmets. We have issued notices to 1,700 offices to make helmets mandatory for their employees. Personnel visit these companies to check CCTV footage to ensure employees are wearing helmets, and fines will be imposed on non-compliant companies.”
