Two days after a 21-year-old died after allegedly losing control of his bike due to a pothole near JJ Hospital, the authorities have started filling up potholes in the area on the double.
Two days after a 21-year-old died after allegedly losing control of his bike due to a pothole near JJ Hospital, the authorities have started filling up potholes in the area on the double. Workers deployed by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) could be seen working through Thursday afternoon working on the potholes on the flyover. While this work continued, police and traffic officials continued to struggle with helmetless riders and bikers wanting to get on the JJ flyover.
On Monday night, Rizwan Khan (21), a resident of Nagpada, was returning home after buying ice cream for his family when he lost control of his bike near JJ Hospital. Khan and his friend Sayyad Murtaza, who was riding riding pillion, fell off the bike. While Murtaza escaped with minor injuries, Khan sustained severe head injuries and later died. While the pothole, where Khan’s bike skid was filled up on Tuesday, residents alleged that the civic body should be should be held directly responsible for the youngster’s death.
The residents on Thursday meanwhile organised a ‘funeral prayer’ at the said pothole. “We held a funeral prayer at the pothole since it claimed a life of young boy. We hope the civic body wakes up and sees the results of their inaction,” said Kamal Khan, father of Rizwan. A neighbour added that while the young boy may have been travelling without a helmet, his death was caused due to the pothole. “If the pothole did not exist, he would never have lost control of the vehicle and fallen. What guarantee is there that if he was wearing a helmet, Rizwan would have survived the fall ” he asked.
The JJ Marg police, which registered a case of accidental death, said that the boy’s death was caused due to him not wearing a helmet. “We see many such cases everyday. Either youngsters in the area are driving rashly or don’t want to wear helmets. How much can we control them ” asked a senior officer from JJ Marg police station. He added that the head injuries sustained by the young man could have been minor injuries if he was wearing a helmet,
Traffic officials who routinely hold nakabandi in the area shared the same sentiments. “On an everyday basis we nab at least 10-15 motorists riding without a helmet. Many of them are residents of the area and sometimes even minors. We fine them and also give them warnings. But there is only so much we can do. Parents and the motorists themselves need to realise the perils of riding without a helmet,” said an officer.
