Bhiwandi pothole death: Contractor says road was repaired 3 days back

Source: indiatoday.in

A day after a 21-year-old doctor was crushed to death by a truck after she slipped on a pothole on the Bhiwandi- Wada road in Thane district, the road contractor said the stretch where the mishap happened was repaired only three days back.

Shaikh Zaheer Ahmed, general manager of Supreme Manor Wada Bhiwandi Pvt Ltd, responsible for repair and maintenance of Bhiwandi- Wada road, said the stretch was repaired three days back.

“But if we were responsible, police would have filed a case against us. It’s a 64km-long road and not in the best condition due to rains. But repair work is on. We are doing our best to maintain the road,” he said.

Meanwhile, locals staged a protest at Angaon toll plaza after the accident claimed life of the 21-year-old doctor.

Forcing the toll authorities to halt their operations, the locals claimed the accident was third-such incident in the last 15 days.

Asgar Patel, a resident of Mahapoli, said, “Wednesday’s accident was heartbreaking. We collected pieces of the woman’s body. The stretch is prone to accidents and this is the third-such accident in the last 15 days.”

Members of the Shramjeevi Sanghatana, an outfit working for tribal welfare, also protested at the Angaon toll booth.

The organisation’s youth wing president Pramod Pawar demanded the police to file a case against the company which is responsible for road construction and maintenance, and the Public Works Department (PWD).

Police have already registered a case under Section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the truck driver. He is yet to be identified.

Doctor was returning from her wedding shopping

Dr Neha Shaikh, 21, died on Wednesday after being run over by a vehicle when she fell off a two-wheeler as it slipped on a pothole in Maharashtra’s Thane district.

Neha Shaikh, who was supposed to get married on November 7, was on her way home from Bhiwandi town after making purchases for her wedding.

While riding pillion on the two-wheeler being driven by her brother, she lost her balance and fell on the road when the vehicle skidded over a pothole near Dugadh junction. A truck passing by crushed her under its wheels.