Our Bureau/

Had the painful death of Vibha Kumari (28) a young homemaker in advance laboured pain along with her child inside her womb  in front of her helpless  parents on an auto rickshaw on jammed NH-80 near Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour, made any change in the official concerned here?

Despite tall claims to the officials, the traffic problem remains the same here since long rather turns fatal. Like her more than dozen patients lost their lives on way for hospitals here as their family members failed to reach them to hospital in time due to road jams.

NH-80 near Bhagalpur central jail.

Vibha Kumarai (28), wife of Vivekanand Mandal of Dhoriya in Banka was in advance labour pain and she was under supervision of her parents at Jaykuth village under Goradih block in Banka. “As her condition turned serious we admitted her to Sonhoula PHC on the late night of July 29. As she was bleeding profusely, doctors referred her to JLNMC hospital and we somehow reached Sabour at around 10 am yesterday. There was mega jam on NH-80 so we admitted her to a local private nursing home of Sabour but we were asked to shift her to JLNMC hospital immediately. There was no ambulance so we hair an auto rickshaw for JLNMC hospital which trapped in the jam near Bihar agricultural University (BAU), Sabour,” her father Ramchandra Mandal narrated.

“Her condition was gradually deteriorating particularly due to bumpy drives on dilapidated NH-80 and it took more than 3 hours to cover the distance from hardly 6-7 km from Sabour to JLNMC hospital mainly due to the jam. When we reached at the hospital, the doctors declared her death,” Ramchandra broke down. “Who will be responsible for such tragic end of our daughter? To whom we register our complains?  ask the mother  of the girl in broken voice. Bhagalpur doesn’t have the facilities like other cities where NH passes outsides, NH-80 passes here through the hearts of main city, other localities and used by local traffics also in addition to its own heavy traffic.

Ponds now on NH-80 at Bhagalpur.

Divisional commissioner, Bhagalpur, Rajesh Kumar was not available as he was busy in video conferencing with state headquarter on draught and floods, but he yesterday instructed the concerned NH-80 officials to start repairing works of the dilapidated stretch from Zero Mile in Bhagalpur to Ghogha immediately.

“It’s the duty  of road division to maintain road.  Government’s responsibility is to keep watch on it. Majority of the contractors that have been assigning for the road works are politicians or their agents, the construction quality is also very poor here mainly due to the involvements of the politicians in road construction works. So how could the district administration was blamed for the death of Vibha Kumari here ?” a district official on condition of anonymity, lambasted the state government and road construction department heavily.

How one could move freely on NH-80 at Bhagalpur?

Deputy inspector general of police (DIG), Bhagalpur police range, Vikash Vaibhav, too denied the responsibility for police. He expressed his helplessness:  “Non- availability of a bypass road, delay in construction of bridges which earlier damaged and poor conditions of roads including NH-80 are the basic reason for such traffic mess here. SSP Bhagalpur earlier in several times intimate concerned district authorities on the hurdles for maintaining traffic properly here due to poor roadways. I also time to time pointed out the problems with conducting better policing (read managing traffic) under such condition,” he told. According to him earlier, it was alleged that some errant cops used to promote over loaded vehicles for the NH resulting jams on the NH. “But we cracked the nut of over loading and even taken actions against the cops involved in such affairs. Some politicians are also under our scanner for their involvements in the game of passing of over loaded vehicles and we now managed to counter the problems mostly,” he claimed.

“The police now would have the option to recommend district administration for withdrawing traffic from the roads of Bhagalpur if situation would not improve,” the DIG added further.

The tragic incident however creates confusion here. SSP, Bhagalpur, Ashish Bharati denied any road jam on yesterday on NH-80 near BAU, Sabour which resultant the death as alleged by the family members of the ill-fated girl who died amid helpless conditions due to jam. Her father alleged that due to jam which caused due to dilapidated roads, they had traveled the distance between 6-7 kms, from Sabour to JLNMC hospital, with the girl in more than 3 hours. And the delay proved fatal for the girl that succumbed along with her child to her pain and profuse bleeding.

“The auto rickshaw might have trapped in the ditch on NH-80 which delayed her to reach to JLNMC hospital,” Bharati said today.

The ground reality of NH-80 at Bhagalpur.

It’s matter of investigation how the SSP denied about the jam which claimed the life of the ill-fated girl. But if believe his claim, one could easily understand the prevailing road conditions here, 3 hours takes to cover the distance of 6-7 km though by a light vehicle like auto rickshaw. “Police is ready to institute a case if the family members would approach police with a complaint,” The SSP said.

“They are poor, hardly have managed money for her last rites. Secondly, the parents lost her, their most beloved girl. Could they bring her back if they would register a case but they don’t have money for the case and the subsequent legal battle,” said a close family relative.

“Avoiding tendencies by the victim’s family members  to register protest against the system in such cases  mainly due to their poor conditions or due to lack of appropriate knowledge, are one of the main reason that no follow up actions is taken in such issues. As a result, the errant responsible officials escape easily,” said Vishnu Kumar a social worker at Sabour.