In a recurring display of negligence, a newly installed height barrier at Nagpur's Shaheed Gowari Flyover was completely destroyed on Wednesday night, just two days after its installation. The barrier, located on the Zero Mile side ahead of the ascending ramp, was struck by a speeding truck, breaking it into two pieces.
A Chronic Problem Repeats Itself
This incident marks at least the fifth time in the recent past that height barriers at this specific location have been damaged. The repeated collisions have become a source of immense frustration for daily motorists, the traffic police, and the state's Public Works Department (PWD). For years, despite consistent efforts by the PWD's World Bank division to enforce restrictions, heavy vehicles have continued to ram into these structures.
The financial toll of this cycle is significant, resulting in the wastage of lakhs of rupees in public money. The latest crash has once again highlighted the blatant disregard for traffic rules by recklessly driven heavy vehicles in the city.
Legal Action and Past Failures
The Sitabuldi police have registered a case against the truck driver, identified as Sonu Kumar (25), a resident of Rewa in Madhya Pradesh. He has been booked for damaging public property, rash driving, and violations under the relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act. Officials reported that the driver fled the scene immediately after the collision but was later located and brought to the police station. The vehicle involved has been detained for investigation.
The flyover was originally designed only for light vehicles. However, over time, heavy vehicles began using it frequently, creating safety hazards for commuters. The installation of height barriers was the chosen solution to prevent this, but each attempt has ended in failure.
PWD executive engineer Krusha Gharde expressed deep disappointment over the latest incident. "This is the third time in my tenure that the height barrier was damaged. The earlier executive engineer had also installed it at least twice, but the result was the same," Gharde told TOI. The department had implemented several precautionary measures, including speed-breakers on both sides, information boards, and extra lighting, but a speeding truck still managed to crash into it.
Searching for a Permanent Solution
Following the accident, the PWD has removed the shattered barrier from the Zero Mile side. The barriers on the Rahate Colony side remain intact for now. This problem is not new; earlier in June this year, barriers installed at a cost of Rs 40 lakh were struck seven times by heavy vehicles and damaged within just three days of being put up.
The seriousness of the issue had even prompted the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court to take suo motu cognizance. The court had directed the PWD and Traffic Police to implement stringent preventive measures. Despite these directives and various interventions, heavy vehicles continue to collide with the structure.
Traffic experts have suggested that continuous barricading for a period of 15 to 30 days might be necessary to help motorists get accustomed to the restriction. As the costly cycle of reconstruction and destruction persists, authorities are now compelled to consider additional, more effective measures to finally put an end to this dangerous and expensive problem.
