Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai   

Cyclist crushed to death by water tanker at Kodambakkam

By K. Manikandan

CHENNAI NOV. 11. A cyclist was crushed to death by a water tanker contracted to Metrowater at Kodambakkam this evening. Traffic police identified the deceased as Selvaraj (38) of Padappai, near Tambaram.

Selvaraj, who was going to his office, took a turn from the Bharatheeswarar Colony (B.E.Colony) First Street, when the water tanker, which was coming back, hit him, according to eyewitness reports.

A resident of the Second Street said, the cyclist had swerved onto a heap of mud beneath a transformer to avoid the tanker, but was knocked down by the vehicle and was trapped under the rear wheels. The witness said he cried for help even as local residents only looked on. "We have heard of accidents and read reports. But today, we just did not know what to do", the witness said.

The body was removed from under the wheels only after traffic police came to the spot, nearly 45 minutes after the accident occurred. Police arrested Ram, driver of the water tanker (TN-02-P-8696).

Selvaraj had hired the cycle from a shop close to the accident spot. He was proceeding to his office on Vanniyar Street to hand over the daily collections, a worker at the cycle shop said.

Traffic police suspect that the accident could have taken place due to the negligence of the lorry cleaner, whose task was to warn other road users when the vehicle was reversing. International practice is to allow only supervised reversing of heavy vehicles.

Also, residents complained that the heap of mud under the transformer post had considerably occupied the already congested road space.

Only last month, a 14-year old girl was killed when a private water tanker from which she was collecting water near her house at Thirumangalam ran over her. The girl received serious injuries after being hit by the lorry, when the cleaner got into the vehicle and started it, without realising that the lorry was in reverse gear.

In March this year, a staff member of the US Consulate died on the spot after her vehicle skidded on Cathedral Garden Road and was run over by an MTC bus. A day after this accident, Chennai City Traffic Police said it would take serious note of negligence on the part of government agencies or commercial houses that posed threats to road users.

The next day, Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic), G.U.G. Sastry said Metrowater and Chennai Corporation were constantly flouting safety norms and it was time for them to be made more accountable. He assured that the Traffic department would write to the civic agencies to conduct an investigation into the death of the Consulate staffer and take suitable action.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• Citizens group challenges Secretariat project
• Slum dwellers sore over displacement
• Cyclist crushed to death by water tanker at Kodambakkam
• Human chain today
• Anna varsity warning to colleges
• Advocates protest assault
• Energy theft
• Meet discusses modernisation of Besant Nagar crematoria
• Lorry cleaner killed in accident
• Voice response system

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu