Man comes under water tanker after his scooter slips on paver blocks, dies on the spot; police book tanker driver, no action for road’s poor condition
A large part of the road outside Gandhi Market, Sion, has been fixed with paver blocks
Days after a slippery iron sheet claimed the life of an 18-year-old pillion rider in Kurla, a 30-year-old man died after his scooter slipped on an uneven road, fixed with banned paver blocks outside Gandhi Market in Sion. He was crushed under a water tanker and died on the spot.
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The BMC in 2019 banned the use of paver blocks in roads, but sources told mid-day that these can be used as a temporary fix for repairs. When asked why the paver blocks in Sion were not removed and the road concretised, a source said, "We will have to check that."
The incident took place on Saturday, a day after Akshay Bharat Vora celebrated his third wedding anniversary. He was a resident of Gulmohar Society at Pratiksha Nagar in Sion. According to police officers, Akshay was a manager at an advertising agency in Lower Parel.
Akshay Bharat Vora, the deceased
Sion police registered an accidental death report (ADR) and arrested the water tanker driver, identified as Karan Ramsingh. He was later released on a bail bond of Rs 15,000. However, police didn't take action against any authority for the poor condition of the road.
Senior Inspector Manoj Hirlekar of Sion police station told mid-day, "The incident occurred at 10 am on Saturday while Akshay was going to office. When he reached near Gandhi Market his scooter slipped and a running tanker crushed him. The locals rushed him to Sion hospital, but he was declared dead. A post-mortem was conducted after which we handed over the body to his family for final rites."
The BMC is responsible for the repair of the road where the accident happened. Speaking with mid-day, F North ward officer Gajanan Bellale said, "I am not aware of this accident. I will personally visit the spot with my team of engineers and fix the road if it is uneven."
An owner of a juice shop at Gandhi Market, who witnessed the accident, said, "A part of the road has been fixed with paver blocks and is uneven. Because of this, Akshay's scooter slipped and he fell down, and came under a running tanker. The BMC should fix the road to save people's lives. The negligent authorities are responsible for the accident. It was not the fault of the tanker driver, as the accident happened within seconds and it was not possible for him to change the course of his tanker."
A close friend and colleague of the deceased said, "Akshay celebrated his wedding anniversary a day before the accident. On Saturday, when he didn't come to the office, we enquired and learnt about the accident. We were all shocked. He was a good person and helpful, too."
A few days back midday reported a series of story of the terror of iron sheets poorly fixed on roads across the city, after Anju Sahu died near Kapadia Nagar in Kurla East. The bike,
which her brother was riding, slipped and they fell. While the brother survived, Anju was crushed under a running dumper truck.