‘Black spot’ on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway that killed Cyrus Mistry, 61 others; caused 268 accidents this year

While a lot of things have changed over the years, road safety and disaster management are still woefully primitive in India, and it is not until loss of life, or a major calamity occurs that lessons are drawn and steps are taken to rectify errors. The death of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry in a car crash on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway near Maharashtra’s Palghar district has turned the spotlight towards the issue of road safety in general and a treacherous 100-Km stretch on the highway in particular.

As many as 268 accidents have been reported this year on the said stretch between Ghodbunder in Thane and Dapchari in Palghar district. These accidents led to the death of 62 people, including Mistry, and severe injuries to 192 others, according to a PTI report.

While over-speeding and error of judgement on drivers’ part are partly to be blamed, several other factors such has lack of proper signs, and absence of speed curbing measures, are also responsible for a high number of accidents on the stretch.

An independent probe by an NGO Save Life Foundation into the accident on the Surya river bridge near Charoti village in Palghar found that bad road geometry and an unprotected parapet wall were responsible for the mishap.

“The road was at a curve and transformed from three lanes to two lanes; there was inadequate treatment of the highway with signage, delineation and demarcation to guide road users. Further, the superstructure of the bridge near the roadside acted as a hard object with which the vehicle collided,” the report added.

As many as 26 people have died in 25 serious accidents on the Charoti stretch alone, where Mistry’s car crashed into a divider, since the start of the year, a highway police official told PTI.

Yet another 25 died in 34 accidents near Chinchoti during the same period, and 11 deaths have been reported due to 10 accidents near Manor.

The highway official dubbed the Charoti stretch and the 500-metres of road beyond it towards Mumbai as “black spots” in terms of road safety.

There are no road safety signs, or speed breakers to warn or check drivers before they approach the bridge, he added.

It was at this spot that the Mercedes car that gynaecologist Anahita Pandole was driving and in which Mistry was riding in the backseat, crashed into a divider killing Misty and his friend Jahangir Pandole.

The official further added that the safety guidelines of the Indian Road Congress were not followed by those who maintain the road. The road is under the administration of the National Highway Authority of India, but the private agency which collects toll and maintains the road overlooked the safety guidelines.