PM Narendra Modi reacted to the recent road accident that occurred in Mirzapur through social media posts. He expressed his condolence to the victims and their families and wished fast recovery of the injured.
Last Friday, around 1 a.m. a tragic accident happened in the Prayagraj-Varanasi Highway when a truck collided with a tractor which was carrying 13 people. Due to the heavy collision, 10 people were immediately dead and 3 got heavily injured.
An uncontrolled truck hit a tractor-trolley in Mirzapur. 10 people died in the accident. The condition of 3 is critical, they have been referred to Trauma Center Varanasi. The accident took place at 1 am on Prayagraj-Varanasi Highway#mirzapur #accident #truckaccident #Trump pic.twitter.com/y3dp0G9PHF
— filmilicious (@Sarfudd39591674) October 4, 2024What happened in the Mirzapur accident?
13 labourers were returning to their homes in a tractor trolley from Bhadohi towards Banaras when the incident suddenly happened. At around 1 a.m. in the night, a truck suddenly appeared at speed and collided with the tractor from behind. As an immediate impact, 10 people got instant death, while 3 got injured.
As soon as the UP police got the news, they rushed to the accident sites on the Prayagraj-Varanasi Highway near Katka village and took immediate action. They immediately ceased the area and sent 10 dead bodies to the mortuary. For the 3 injured people, they arranged an ambulance and sent them to Banaras Hindu University (BHU) for faster treatment.
Mirzapur Superintendent of Police, Abhinandan said, “At around 1 AM, we received information that an accident had occurred on the GT Road at the Mirzamurad Kachhwa border, in which a tractor carrying 13 people, which was going from Bhadohi district towards Banaras, was hit from behind by a truck that had gone out of control.”
He also added, “All these 13 people used to work as labourers in Bhadohi and were returning to their village. FIR is being registered. Further necessary legal action is being taken.”
PM Modi’s condolence for the tragic accident
In response to the tragic accident in Mirzapur, PM Modi expressed his condolence for the victims’ families and assured them to provide essential support. PM Modi shared a post in X where he said, “The road accident in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, is extremely painful. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families of those who lost their lives in it. May God give them strength to bear this pain.”
उत्तर प्रदेश के मिर्जापुर में हुआ सड़क हादसा अत्यंत पीड़ादायक है। इसमें जान गंवाने वालों के शोकाकुल परिजनों के प्रति मेरी गहरी संवेदनाएं। ईश्वर उन्हें इस पीड़ा को सहने की शक्ति प्रदान करे। इसके साथ ही मैं सभी घायलों के शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की कामना करता हूं। राज्य सरकार की देखरेख…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 4, 2024PM Modi also highlighted that the state government and officials of local administrations are actively engaged in providing proper assistance and support to the victims and their families in every possible way. Besides wishing for fast recovery of the injured he also shared in his X post, that an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh will be provided from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the dead victims’ families and ₹50 thousand will be given to the injured people.
The Prime Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF for the next of kin of each deceased in the road accident in Mirzapur, UP. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000. https://t.co/scIUlNrwh1
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) October 4, 2024The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath Yogi also shared condolence towards all the victims of the Mirzapur tragic accident and their families. Also instructed the local police authority to invest in the case and SP Abhinandan has already identified the names of the victims who are dead and injured.
जनपद मीरजापुर में हुई हृदय विदारक घटना में मृतकों के परिजनों को ₹02-02 लाख और गंभीर रूप से घायलों को ₹50-50 हजार की सहायता राशि तत्काल प्रदान करने हेतु जिला प्रशासन को निर्देश दिए हैं।
मेरी संवेदनाएं शोक संतप्त परिजनों के साथ हैं।@UPGovt पीड़ित परिजनों की हर संभव सहायता करने… https://t.co/Puku9ctuCD
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) October 4, 2024Union Health Minister and BJP President JP Nadda also expressed his condolence regarding the accident and shared a post on social media. He said, “The news of many people getting killed in a road accident in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh is extremely sad. The local administration is engaged in relief and rescue work with full readiness. I express my deepest condolence to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
Traffic conditions on the Prayagraj-Varanasi Highway
The Prayagraj-Varanasi Highway where the tragic accident took place is a crucial route of Uttar Pradesh that connects several major cities. It is the part of the GT road for which it has typically experienced heavy traffic. Heavy vehicles including trucks, buses, tractor-trolleys etc. usually frequent this highway.
Because of heavy traffic accidents frequently happen on this highway. In 2022, a Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) collided with an electricity pole and six per died in the Prayagraj-Varanasi Highway. In August 2024, two cousins died on the same highway because a truck collided with their motorcycle from behind.
Again in few months ago, a 55-year-old man died and two others were injured when a DCM truck rammed into a roadside barber shop. Similarly, in July 2024, a head-on collision happened between a speedy truck and a car on the same highway.
Last year, an estimated 100 road accidents were registered in the Prayagraj-Varanasi highway in which it is estimated that 50 died and 200 were injured. In 2024, around 50 road accidents already happened including the latest Mirzapur accident, in which it is estimated that 25 people died and 100 people got injured.
Government action to improve traffic flow on the highway
The UP government has taken several actions to reduce the number of road accidents and improve the traffic condition of the Prayagraj-Varanasi highway. The CM Adityanath Yogi launched infrastructure and public welfare schemes to develop Uttar Pradesh. Four Bypass roads will be developed through which eight national highways can be connected to reduce traffic and increase public safety.
PM Modi recently inaugurated a six-land widening project for the NH-19 section of Prayagraj-Varanasi highway. The main purpose of this approach is to enhance the traffic flow and safety of the people.
Moreover, the UP government is experimenting with technological integration to manage traffic on every highway including the Prayagraj-Varanasi highway. The Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) is a part of the ongoing efforts of CM Yogi to make UP a smart city. The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation already started to build a network of integrated CCTV cameras that will help to monitor and control emergency traffic situations.
Reasons behind the rise of road accidents in Indian states
The UP is consistently ranked higher in road accidents than other states in India. The total number of road accidents in 2022 in UP was over 41,000. Whereas, in Maharashtra, the total number of road accidents as of 2022, was over 33,000. Comparing it with Karnataka, the total road accident was over 39,000.
The reason for rising road accidents in different states is the poor road conditions. Over-speed behavior of drivers also became a reason for majority of the road accidents. Poor road infrastructure such as proper signage, traffic lights and more are also considered the reason for increasing road accidents in different states of India.
FAQ
What caused the tragic road accident on the Prayagraj-Varanasi Highway?
A truck went out of control and hit a tractor from behind near the Katka village in Mirzapur district on Friday night around 1 a.m.
How many people were affected by the accident, and what were the outcomes for the victims?
The tractor was carrying 13 labourers who were travelling from Bhadohi district towards Banaras. The heavy impact of the crash caused the immediate death of 10 people and 3 were injured.
What actions did PM Modi and the Uttar Pradesh government take in response to the Mirzapur accident?
PM Modi expressed his condolence for the victims’ families of the Mirzapur accident and assured them to provide essential support. PM Modi shared a post in X where he said, “The road accident in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, is extremely painful. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families of those who lost their lives in it.” An ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh will be provided from the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the dead victims’ families in the Mirzapur accident and ₹50 thousand will be given to the injured people in the Mirzapur accident. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath Yogi also shared condolence towards all the victims and their families of the Mirzapur accident.
What measures are being implemented to improve traffic safety on the Prayagraj-Varanasi Highway?
The UP government has taken several actions to reduce the number of road accidents and improve the traffic condition of the Prayagraj-Varanasi highway. CM Adityanath Yogi launched infrastructure and public welfare schemes to develop Uttar Pradesh. Four Bypass roads will be developed through which eight national highways can be connected to reduce traffic and increase public safety. PM Modi recently inaugurated a six-lane widening project for the NH-19 section of the Prayagraj-Varanasi highway.
How do the road accident statistics in Uttar Pradesh compare to those in other states like Maharashtra and Karnataka?
The total number of road accidents in 2022 in UP was over 41,000. Whereas, in Maharashtra, the total number of road accidents as of 2022 was over 33,000. Comparing it with Karnataka, the total road accident was over 39,000.
What are some of the key reasons behind the rise in road accidents in India?
The reason for rising road accidents in different states is the poor road conditions. Over-speed behaviour of drivers also became a reason for the majority of the road accidents. Poor infrastructure such as proper signage, traffic lights, and more are also considered the reason for increasing road accidents in different states of India.
How is the Uttar Pradesh government planning to integrate technology to manage traffic flow on highways?
The UP government is experimenting with technological integration to manage traffic on every highway including the Prayagraj-Varanasi highway. The Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) is a part of the ongoing efforts of CM Yogi to make UP a smart city. The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation already started to build a network of integrated CCTV cameras that will help to monitor and control emergency traffic situations.
