Man dies in Vadodara after his auto overturns, falls into pit
A 38-year-old man died in the wee hours of Wednesday after he sustained grievous injuries when the autorickshaw he was driving overturned and fell into a pit in Vadodara. The incident sparked a political controversy, with the Opposition blaming the BJP-ruled Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) for putting lives at risk as a mild downpour led to waterlogging in some areas. It also pointed out that the water level of the Vishwamitri rose steadily after a 100-day dredging and desilting exercise undertaken by the civic body.
A medical team, which reached the spot on an ambulance, declared Anil Thakor Vasava dead. The pit was on an unfinished patch of a road in Sardar Estate area that was allegedly caused by some drainage work carried out by the VMC. Vasava, who is survived by his parents, wife and two minor children, was the only breadwinner of his family. His brother Sunil said that the family suffered the loss due to negligence of the civic body.
Sunil, who received the body of the deceased, also said, 'My brother was the only breadwinner… His wife and two minor children as well as our parents were dependent on his income. Had the civic body completed its work, my brother would not have mistaken the pit for a harmless pothole in the rain. We will file a complaint against the VMC.'
The Vadodara unit of the Congress Wednesday held a protest outside the office of Mayor Pinky Soni, alleging that VMC officer-bearers had refused to answer questions related to the Vishwamitri River project, undertaken ahead of monsoon. Opposition leader Chandrakant Shrivastav, said, 'We have no other option, but to sit on dharna outside the Mayor's office because they do not hear us or bother to answer questions… When we asked them if Vadodara will witness floods and what is the effectiveness of the 100-day project of desilting and dredging, we were told 'Floods will happen'… So what did they do for 100 days? Where was the Rs 1,000 crore, paid by taxpayers, spent? Should we not be asking these questions?'
Shrivastav said that 'inefficiency and apathy' of the civic body resulted in the death of the autorickshaw driver. 'There are so many road cave-ins, there are pits being dug and left open. Today, a young breadwinner of a family has died due to the apathy and negligence of the VMC, but the office-bearers of the BJP have no answers.'
Meanwhile, senior officials of the VMC said that the drainage work was done, but the patchwork was pending and that the driver 'ought to have exercised caution'. A senior officer said, 'The patchwork was started immediately after the unfortunate incident… However, during rain, drivers are advised to drive at a speed that can be controlled and also keep an eye for uneven roads, especially in areas where the civic body has undertaken pre-monsoon work…'
Bapod police station in Vadodara city filed a case of rash driving on public way against the deceased, based on the statement of his brother. The FIR filed in the case stated that he was driving his autorickshaw at full speed and in a rash and negligent manner, leading to 'loss of control on the steering wheel and overturning of the autorickshaw. It resulted in grievous injuries on the head and face of the deceased… Doctors of the 108 ambulance service had declared the driver of the autorickshaw dead on the spot.'
Bapod Police Inspector M R Sangada said that the FIR was filed 'as per procedure' and further inquiry had been initiated in the case. 'The family of the deceased has, so far, not approached the police with any complaint against the civic body… The accident occurred at a spot on the road where the civic body had recently completed a drainage line work, but the levelling of the road was pending. Due to heavy rain, the temporary patch could have got washed out, leading to a pothole.'
Mayor Soni as well as Municipal Commissioner Arun Babu remained unavailable for comment.
Meanwhile, following heavy rainfall in the catchment area, the water level of the Vishwamitri rose to 10.76 feet at Kala Ghoda, which is seen as the benchmark for the river's water level. The Vishwamitri's danger mark is 26 feet for Kala Ghoda, but in low lying areas of the city, the river begins to flood areas after reaching 24 feet.
Panchmahal, Mahisagar, Chhota Udepur and Narmada districts received heavy rainfall in the last 24 hours, leading to several villages being inundated as well as damage to interior roads and bridges.
Several parts of the towns of Godhra and Halol in Panchmahal as well as Rajpipla in Narmada witnessed heavy waterlogging on Tuesday, leading to disruption of normal life.
In Godhra, Meshri river swelled after the region received about 4 inches of rain in two hours.
In Narmada's Dediapada taluka, a main road connecting the area to the busy Movi junction was washed out near Yal village, resulting in vehicles being diverted for a distance of around 30 km. The road is mainly used by vehicles arriving in Rajpipla from Maharashtra and has been repaired on two occasions earlier.
In Vadodara district too, Shinor and Dabhoi received heavy rainfall, leading to waterlogging in several areas. Shinor received about 1.1 inch rainfall in two hours on Wednesday evening.
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