The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Lorry rams taxi, ploughs into shops

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Friday, Nov 03, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Lorry rams taxi, ploughs into shops

K. Manikandan

Midnight accident exposes hazards on Velachery Main Road

DANGEROUS DRIVE: A goods truck that hit a taxi carrying call centre employees, and stopped after hitting a few shops (in the foreground) on Velachery-Tambaram road at Selaiyur on Wednesday night. — PHOTO: K. Manikandan

TAMBARAM : A goods-laden lorry rammed into a taxi and ploughed into a row of shops before coming to a halt on Velachery Main Road at Selaiyur on Wednesday midnight. Though no one was seriously hurt, the accident only exposed the hazards motorists face on this road.

The lorry was on its way from Arni in Tiruvannamalai district to Sholinganallur. Around midnight, it hit a Tata Indicab cab ferrying call centre employees home from office, before plowing into a row of shops. The occupants of the taxi had a miraculous escape though it suffered extensive damage.

Two persons travelling in the cab sustained injuries and were hospitalised, police said, adding they were out of danger. Police said the lorry driver failed to notice barricades placed on the middle of the road and swerved to the right to avoid hitting them, ramming into the taxi. Selaiyur police are investigating.

The accident took place at one of the narrowest points on the 21-km Velachery Main Road connecting Tambaram and Saidapet via Velachery. For several years, the road was wide enough only for one-way traffic; it was widened and centre medians installed subsequently. Widening of the road has been completed on almost the entire stretch, except for a few places including East Tambaram, Selaiyur, Sembakkam and Pallikaranai. Most of these spots are accident prone, particularly the stretch between Air Force Station road junction and Convent bus stop in East Tambaram and the one at Selaiyur. Encroachments on the road not only pose risks to motorists, but also cause severe traffic snarls during the rush hour. Traffic has increased phenomenally in the past few years because of the easy connectivity with GST Road and Old Mamallapuram Road, where educational institutions and IT companies have mushroomed.

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