Palghar tempo-truck collision: FIR registered against drivers; victims cremated

Thirteen people have died and 17 others are injured after a tempo collided with a truck in Maharashtra's Palghar district, with both drivers facing charges for violating road rules.

Police have detained the driver of a tempo that collided with a truck in Maharashtra's Palghar district, claiming 13 lives, and registered a First Information Report against both the drivers for violating road rules, officials said on Tuesday.

As many as 17 injured persons are undergoing treatment at present, said Dr Ramdas Marad, district civil surgeon.

The government will bear the full medical expenses of the injured and also look after the long-term needs of the tribal families who lost their members in the accident, officials said.

The tempo, being driven on the wrong side, was carrying a tribal family from Bapugaon and Lakhatpada villages to 'sakharpuda' or engagement ceremony when it met with the accident in Dhanivari area.

Palghar District Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik, who visited the accident site late Monday night, said heavy traffic on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway, coupled with the tempo driver taking a wrong-side shortcut in violation of traffic rules, led to the fatal crash.

''This highway witnesses heavy traffic. There is a dire need for greater awareness regarding traffic regulations and the law. In an unfortunate attempt to avoid a long route and take a shortcut, the tempo was driven on the wrong side of the highway, which led to this collision,'' Naik told reporters.

The tempo, packed with 30-40 passengers, collided with the speeding sand-laden truck at around 4 pm on Monday.

A statement from the Palghar district administration said the tempo was moving on the wrong side of the Mumbai-Gujarat lane of the highway. Upon reaching Dhaniwari village, a truck coming from the opposite direction lost control, and its container box collided with the left side of the tempo.

A motorcycle was also caught in the pile-up, it said.

The truck overturned, and the victims got trapped beneath its cargo.

An FIR has been registered against the drivers of both the truck and the tempo under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act, an official from Kasa police station told PTI.

The 45-year-old tempo driver has been taken into police custody for further investigation. The truck driver, who was injured, is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital under police watch, the official said.

Notably, on May 1, a dumper collided with a car carrying Palghar BJP MP Hemant Sawra at a different location on the highway. While Sawra escaped unhurt, the car driver suffered minor injuries.

Minister Naik said the government will bear full medical expenses of all those injured and will continue to take care of them even after they are discharged.

The injured persons were admitted to Vedanta Hospital in Dahanu. Three of them were in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), while the others were under observation and reported to be stable, Palghar regional disaster cell Subash Bagde said.

The postmortem examinations were completed, and the bodies were being handed over to relatives, Dahanu Tehsildar Sunil Koli said.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.

Maharashtra Tribal Development Minister Dr Ashok Uike said his department will take long-term care of the families of the victims.

Uike attended the last rites of 13 victims hailing from Bapugaon, Lakhatpada and Wangarje villages.

Local MP Dr Hemant Savra and local MLAs Rajendra Gavit, Vinod Nikole, Harishchandra Bhoye and Vilas Tare were also present for the mass cremation at Dhanivari village.

''The Tribal Development Department will stand firmly with all these affected families,'' Uike said.

Following a meeting with the District Collector and tribal project officers, the minister stated that the local administration will launch a specialized, door-to-door survey of each affected household to understand their long-term socio-economic needs, livelihood issues and grievances.

The mass cremation of the 13 victims was held amid heart-wrenching wails of their grieving relatives.

Relatives, particularly women, broke down as the convoy of ambulances bringing the bodies reached the village.

Local CPM MLA Vinod Nikole said most of those who lost their lives in the tragedy were in the age group of 30 to 35 years, and were the sole breadwinners of their families.

He also said the compensation of Rs 5 lakh was meager. ''Given that these families have lost their primary earning members, the government must hike the compensation to at least Rs 10 lakh,'' the MLA demanded.

He also sought prosecution of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials, claiming that the authority failed to provide a mandatory service road which could have averted the accident.

The stretch of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway has turned into a virtual death trap for locals but highway authorities did nothing despite repeated warnings, the MLA claimed.