Indore-Dewas highway jam leaves 3 dead, thousands stranded
What's the story
A massive traffic jam on the Indore-Dewas highway in Madhya Pradesh has left three dead and thousands stranded. The jam, which lasted for 32 hours from Thursday evening to Friday night, stretched nearly eight kilometers. It was caused by ongoing construction work and heavy rainfall that led to waterlogging. The India Meteorological Department had issued orange and yellow alerts for several regions of the state earlier this week, including isolated areas of Indore.
Jam details
How the jam was created
Reportedly, traffic was diverted to a narrow service road on Thursday due to the construction work. This led to extreme congestion as there were no alternate routes through nearby villages. The situation was further aggravated by heavy rainfall and waterlogging in the area. Over 4,000 vehicles were stuck on the highway during this period, raising serious concerns about road and traffic management.
Fatalities
Deaths due to medical emergencies
The three fatalities were reported due to medical emergencies caused by the traffic jam. Sandeep Patel (32) suffered a heart attack while being rushed to the hospital after complaining of chest pain. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. Kamal Panchal (62) fainted in his car after getting nervous from being stuck in the jam for one and a half hours and was declared dead at a private hospital in Dewas.
Administrative response
Action taken by administration
In the wake of these incidents, the Indore administration took immediate action. A high-level meeting was held on Friday, where Indore collector Asheesh Singh directed officials to ensure uninterrupted traffic movement. ADM Roshan Rai has been appointed to control the situation. The incident has drawn criticism from opposition parties, with Congress spokesperson Amit Chaurasia demanding action against administrative officers for their failure to maintain smooth traffic.