NHAI: Suit filed against NHAI. and construction co

(Info placed in public domain in public interest.
Hope HT will not object)

93 Deaths so far. Who’s responsible ?

 Hindustan Times Exclusive - 

Who’s responsible for his death?

Parents of boy who died on expressway to sue NHAI,

construction company

Sanjeev K Ahuja

Gurgaon

FOR THE first time since the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway was thrown open for use in January last year, relatives of one of the accident victims have decided to drag the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), concessionaire company DSC Ltd and the Haryana government to the court of law.

Since January 2008, 93 people have died on the Expressway in various accidents and about 50 per cent of the deceased were pedestrians.

Parents of 19-year old management student Rahul Anand said their son died trying to save a pedestrian crossing the stretch at IFFCO Chowk on March 7 for want of footover-bridge. He rammed his SX4 car into a stationary water tanker. The car’s front portion was damaged beyond recognition and Rahul succumbed to his injuries at a hospital later.

Workers of the concessionaire company had parked the water tanker right next to the median on the top lane with no sense of safety of the motorists, said an apparently angry K.S.

Anand, the father of the deceased, with tears in his eyes.

Rahul Anand, the first year student of Indian Institute of Hotel Management, Gurgaon and resident of East Punjabi Bagh, Delhi, was on his way to college to attend the annual convocation when the accident took place.

“The expressway is a killer highway that has taken the lives of many people and this time it was the turn of my son.

So many deaths on this stretch are only because of the reck lessness of the NHAI, DSC and the state government and I have decided to sue all of them,” said Anand who owns a clearing & forwarding (cargo) firm in Mahipalpur and uses the expressway almost on a daily basis himself.

The aggrieved father said his son was driving sensibly when he all of a sudden he saw a pedestrian in front of his car while driving down from IFFCO Chowk flyover.

He said, “My son immediately turned the car to the right to avoid hitting the pedestrian and rammed his car into the water tanker. I do not under stand as to why the tanker was parked on the top lane of the expressway where vehicles run at high speed?

I wonder as to why NHAI and DSC did not construct foot-over bridges for pedestrians?”

skahuja13@gmail.com MAJOR DEATHS ON EXPRESSWAY

February 23: Two pedestrians mowed down by speeding vehicles. Four motorcyclists were also injured at various places on the expressway.

February 8: An executive of an MNC killed when a mini truck rammed into the rickshaw he had taken.

January 19: Woman pedestrian mowed down beyond recognition by a number of vehicles on the expressway.

Key Data

Total Cost

Rs7.5bn

Construction Management

Jaypee DSC Ventures Ltd

Contractors

Jaiprakash Industries Ltd (JIL), DS Construction Ltd (DSCL), Jaypee DSC Ventures Ltd, M/s Rites Ltd, Sheladia LR Kadiyali

Number of Flyovers

11

Length of Road

28km with the possibility of an extra 3km

The 28km Delhi to Gurgaon expressway is one of the most important road construction projects currently underway in India. The road is being constructed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).

The project comprises the widening and conversion of the Delhi to Gurgaon section of the National Highway (NH)-8 into a six- to eight-lane access-controlled highway on a Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) basis.

150,000 passenger car units a day and this is likely to increase by over 7% per annum.

FLYOVERS AND INTERSECTIONS

The expressway involved the design and construction of the following flyovers, which included precast, segmental superstructures, Pre-Stressed Concrete (PSC) voided slab superstructures and cast-in-situ PSC continuous superstructures:

• Rao Tula Ram junction -three lanes
• Palam junction – three lanes
• Mahipalpur junction – eight lanes
• Radison / IGI junction – four lanes
• Rajokri junction – eight lanes, opened in 2006
• Shankar Chowk / HUDA Chowk – eight lanes
• IFFCO Chowk – eight lanes, 90% completed; will open February 2007
• Small flyover near IFFCO Chowk – eight lanes
• South City junction – eight lanes, 90% complete; will open February 2007
• Jharsa junction – eight lanes, 90% complete; will open February 2007
• Rajiv Chowk – eight lanes, opened 2006

Andher Nagari:Bangalore:Women under attack. Police should wake up

Women under attack.

Police should wake up

Assault must STOP now!

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: More than 70 cases of moral policing in Karnataka over the past six months, and police commissioner Shankar Bidari’s comment that the incidents in Bangalore were ‘stray’ cases: protesting against attacks on women and police inaction, over 200 persons under the banner of Fearless Karnataka gathered in front of the DG & IGP’s office on Nrupathunga Road on Saturday. Men and women from all walks of life, including sexual minorities, foreigners and members of various development organizations, voiced their anguish.

In the absence of DG & IGP Ajay Kumar Singh, IGP (grievance) R P Sharma met the protesters and assured them that the cases will be investigated and a meeting will be scheduled next week.

The activists said commissioner Bidari’s response was irresponsible and led to greater fear in women. “He has to be pulled up for his statement,” Vimochana spokesperson Dona Fernandez said.

“I have to hear both sides and investigate. Your security is our concern,” Sharma said.

MORE ATTACKS COME TO LIGHT

More cases of attacks on women are coming to light. Olivia (name changed), a young American who has been working here for the past two years, said she was attacked last month. “I was feeding a pup on a road in Sanjaynagar when a car almost ran over it. When I went protested, the driver backed at a high speed and tried to hit me. I fell on a motorcycle and was injured. I can identify the men.

The police in Sanjaynagar did not register my complaint. They asked me to go to Hebbal, where I was told to go to R T Nagar. I don’t know why. They were just not ready to take the complaint,” she said.

The protesters said investigations in the two registered cases have been insensitive towards the victim. “After aggressive sessions with police, they come away feeling they are the wrongdoers” their memorandum states.

“There have been seven attacks in Bangalore and assaults take place everyday in other parts of the state, especially Mangalore. The burkha ban is ridiculous. Here they attack us for wearing jeans and there they have problems with women covering their bodies? What are we doing?” said a furious Shakun Mohini, a member of Vimochana.

HELP IS HERE
The protesters came up with colourful posters and slogans like ‘Stop cultural fascism’, ‘Do you enjoy seeing women being beaten up? Be a man!’, and a helpline too: ‘Single and looking for help? Call me on 9986804264’.

CAMPAIGNS TODAY
Awareness campaign from 6 pm: People will gather at five locations across the city ‘Take Back The Night, Take Back Our Streets’ at 9 pm: Gathering at Bannappa Park

Madras:Anderson Church at Parrys turns 150

Anderson Church at Parrys turns 150

Daniel P George | TNN 

Chennai: The Church of South India’s Anderson Church at Parrys turned 150 on Tuesday, March 3. The following Sunday, a special thanksgiving service was held, presided over by Rt Rev V Devasahayam, the Bishop-in-Madras of the Church of South India.
It was on February 22, 1837 that Reverend John Anderson arrived in Madras as the first missionary of the Church of Scotland.

He established The General Assembly’s School in a rented house on the east side of Armenian Street with the headmaster and 59 boys from the St Andrew’s School forming the core (the institution in 1877 became the Madras Christian College and School and shifted to George Town).

In March 1855, Anderson died. Four years later, the Anderson Church was constructed, with Reverend P Rajagopaul, the first convert of Anderson, becoming the first minister of the church. Surprisingly, the name of Anderson, an educationist, is associated more with the church than with the school he founded.

For decades, the church remained a landmark of the Madras Christian College on the Esplanade until the college was shifted to new premises in Tambaram (1937).

Currently, the church is the only building of the institution that remains in Parrys. At the thanksgiving, Reverend J Jacqulin Jothi of the church said: “At this moment we are grateful to John Anderson and remember his yeoman service to the society. He taught us the joy of giving and we pledge to rededicate ourselves to serving society and the downtrodden.’’

Echoing a similar sentiment was E Martin Caleb, secretary of the church. “It is a proud moment for the entire congregation as we celebrate 150 years and remember John Anderson for his selfless service,’’ he said.

“I live in Anna Nagar. On the way to Anderson Church, there are eight CSI churches but I prefer to go to my parent church, Anderson,’’ Samuel Vijayakumar, church treasurer.

On Sunday, a special prayer was also held at the grave where Anderson and his wife lie buried – at the Old London Mission Cemetery on Thana Street.

The CSI Anderson Church is listed as a landmark heritage building by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Tamil Nadu chapter, and Chennai Heritage.

daniel.george@timesgroup.com