Four killed, several injured in road mishap at Powai in Tinsukia district

Our Correspondent

DIGBOI: In a tragic road accident that occurred on the wee hours of Monday at Powai under Digboi Police Station in Tinsukia district, four persons died on the spot while eight others were injured.

Among the deceased included Bisu Das (29) of Margherita who was driving the ill-fated Tata Magic, Urmila Devi (48), Jaleshwar Giri (49) and Jairam Shah (45).

The incident took place when a coal-laden truck bearing registration No AS-01-JC-2935 coming from Margherita collided head-on with a Tata Magic vehicle AS-23-CC-3431 heading towards Margherita at Pawoi on NH 37 in Digboi.

Those who sustained serious injuries, including an 8-year old boy, were treated at Margherita Civil Hospital but later shifted to Dibrugarh for advanced treatment.

The impact of the collision was so severe that the front top of the ill-fated Magic passenger vehicle was totally smashed and the rescuing team had indeed a tough time in retrieving the corpses using gas-cutter devices.

“The group was returning after attending a marriage ceremony in Dibrugarh district in a reserved Magic vehicle,” said a relative of the deceased.

The driver of the coal-laden truck, however, managed to flee from the scene under the cover of darkness leading to several other coal-laden trucks being stranded on the road behind. No arrest or whatsoever to this effect has been made by Digboi Police.

Police and the civil administration have failed in streamlining the movement of transporting coal and other minor minerals in the route stretching from Jagun outpost to Digboi. Several efforts were initiated by the SDO Civil earlier in this regard by means of promulgating Sec 144 CrPC in the entire Margherita subdivision but the coal trader and other smugglers of the minor minerals were least bothered about the legislation or the formal orders.

Moreover, the speeding mineral-laden trucks and trolleys have been a menace in the region and specifically after the Chief Minister’s order for probe into the alleged syndicate in the coal trade, the competition has intensified among the traders to procure the consignment and leave for the destination safely under the cover of darkness without being obstructed.

Several accidents took place earlier in various locations of the subdivision because of the stranded trolleys and other heavy vehicles parked alongside the roads between the Digboi NRL petrol pump till Jagun area. The matter was raised in various platforms, including the district civil and police administration, but in vain.

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