A fatal accident on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway left 14 people dead and more than 30 injured on Friday. The accident between an LPG tanker and a truck led to a fiery explosion that engulfed nearly 40 vehicles in flames, turning the highway into a scene of devastation.
Timeline of Events
It occurred on Friday early in the morning close to Bhankrota in Jaipur at around 5:30 am. The LPG tanker hit a truck, which further led to a gas leakage. The leaked gas catches fire and created a huge ball of fire that quickly spreads through nearby vehicles, including trucks, buses, and private cars.
Loss of Life and Injuries
Deaths : As of now, fourteen people are found dead, and five cannot be identified.
Injuries: More than 30 people received burn injuries, out of whom seven were put on ventilator support at Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur.
Causes behind the Accident
Lack of Proper Highway Construction:
The specialists have commented that construction works going on the Jaipur-Ajmer highway are leading to hazardous driving conditions.
Dreadful Traffic Management:
Poor arrangements for traffic have resulted in poor signages and road markings at the site, thus being an accident-prone place.
Unauthorized U-Turns:
Lack of physical barriers to prevent big vehicles from making dangerous U-turns.
Insufficient Lighting:
There is no high-mast lighting at the intersection where the accident took place, which results in less visibility, particularly during the early morning hours.
Opinions
Road safety expert George Cheriyan says there is a need for physical measures to avoid such accidents, such as barriers that would stop heavy vehicles from making U-turns.
Dr. Prerna Arora Singh, another road safety expert, said that the accident could have been avoided if radium markers, reflectors, and proper signals were present.
Rajasthan Road Accidents Rise
Road accidents in Rajasthan increased by 13% in 2022. The number of fatalities increased by 11%.
The state witnessed 23,614 road accidents in 2022, which was higher than 20,951 in 2021.
Rajasthan accounted for a large share of India’s 1.73 lakh road accident deaths in 2023, with a sharp 6% rise in fatalities compared to the previous year.
Political and Public Reactions
Sachin Pilot, Congress leader, demanded a thorough probe into the incident, questioning why the construction work on the highway remained incomplete after years of delays.
Pilot further demanded that the governments keep stringent compliance with safety standards considering the increasing number of vehicles on the roads.
Government Action
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation for the victims’ families:
₹2 lakh to the next of kin of those who lost their lives.
₹50,000 for those injured.
Demand for Wholescale Road Safety Plan
This disaster has reignited calls for a statewide road safety action plan. Experts are urging the Rajasthan government to focus on:
Completing infrastructure projects in time.
Strict traffic regulations.
Road safety awareness for drivers.
Investigations are underway. The victims are being identified, the injured are being treated, and the infrastructural and managerial lapses responsible for this avoidable disaster are being addressed. The Jaipur-Ajmer highway accident is a grim reminder of the urgent need for road safety reforms in Rajasthan and across India.
