Hyderabad: A total of 672 pedestrians perished in road accidents in the first nine months of this year. Many victims were found using mobile phones while walking on the road. According to Mr Narsing Rao, inspector of Hyderabad traffic police, negligence caused most of the accidents. Statistics showed pedestrians accounted for about 38 per cent of road accident deaths annually, which stands second to 862 two-wheelers deaths. “This also happens due to defects in engineering and lighting. We have to make some changes in the danger zones and need support from the GHMC. There are 85 accident-prone points in the city,” he added.
The death toll from traffic accidents have decreased compared to last year, which saw 405 deaths. The Hyderabad traffic police said that they plan to bring down the mishaps with the help of the GHMC. Till October 19, around 246 deaths were reported. Most of the accidents occur near hospitals, bus stops, railway stations, crossings, shopping malls and cinema theatres.
In coordination with the GHMC, the Hyderabad traffic police has so far convicted around 20 per cent of the shopkeepers and traders who have encroached on footpaths.
“Our teams, using the e-Enforcement app, click pictures of roads before and after encroachment for better functioning and transparency,” said Mr Rao. The minimum penalty for encroachment is Rs 3000. However, there has not been any fatal accidents because of encroachment although it has caused severe traffic obstruction. As of October 19, out of 1872 road accidents, 239 people were killed under Section 304 A, 124 were grievously injured under Section 338 and 1509 were injured under Section 337 of IPC.
