According to the Pune police data, two neighbouring accident-prone 'black spots' in the Navale Bridge area have reported as many as 31 deaths in as many as 108 accidents over the last five years. (Representational image)Barely 10 days after a 48-vehicle pile-up left at least 20 persons injured and two dozen vehicles damaged, another accident in the Navale bridge area in Narhe has resulted in injuries to at least seven persons as a truck collided with a pick-up tempo around 5am on Wednesday.
On receiving information about the mishap, a team of Sinhagad Road police station, traffic control branch and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) rushed to the spot near the Navale bridge on the Mumbai–Bengaluru highway.
Police said the accident occurred when a pick-up vehicle transporting vegetables from Kolhapur to Mumbai was hit by a truck from the rear side at Bhumkar Pul.
The injured persons were taken to the Sassoon hospital for treatment; all seven of them are reported to be stable. On November 20, a major mishap had taken place at Navale bridge around 8.30pm when a truck carrying rice hit or brush at least 48 vehicles.
Following the accident, top police and NHAI officials started working on an action plan to reduce mishaps on Navale bridge, which is known to be a major accident-prone spot in the city.
But in a few days, on the afternoon of November 26, a tanker collided with three other vehicles near the Navale bridge. All three vehicles were damaged in the mishap though no casualties were reported.
According to Pune police data, the two neighbouring accident-prone “black spots” in the Navale Bridge area have reported as many as 31 deaths in 108 accidents over the last five years.
According to norms set up by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Indian Road Congress, a patch of 500 metres of the road on which five or more accidents with fatalities or grievous injuries have taken place in three years, is referred to as a “black spot”.
In the view of the mishap on November 20, Pune police commissioner Amitabh Gupta had said that there cannot be a permanent solution till the gradient of the slope of the Navale Bridge is reduced. “Gradient has to be according to the National Highway manual… But a long term solution will take time. Till then, we will implement short term solutions…,” Gupta had said.