VASAI: In the second such incident in less than two months, a 16-month-old boy from Kurla, who was being taken to a Mumbai hospital for serious injuries he suffered after falling off the balcony of grandmother’s fourth-floor flat in Nalasopara East, died while stuck in traffic for more than four hours on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway (NH48) on Thursday evening. On July 31, a 49-year-old woman from Saphale who was injured in a tree fall incident died while being stuck in the traffic for several hours on NH48. Local activists blamed “the complete failure” to effectively manage congestion on NH48, despite the Rs 600 crore spend on white-topping project for the highway which is meant to ease commute. White topping aimed at preventing cracks and potholes, providing for smoother, safer and faster commute. ·When contacted, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials said they get blamed for commuter woes caused due to the cascading effect of Ghodbunder Road traffic that leads to snarls on the NH48, coupled with the menace of wrong-side driving. Around 1.30pm on Thursday, the toddler fell off the fourth-floor open balcony of the flat in Fatima Manzil in Nalasopara East but miraculously survived the fall. His Kurla-based family, which was visiting his grandmother, immediately rushed the child to Galaxy Hospital in the vicinity. Dr Alam Shah of Galaxy hospital said the baby was brought in with bruises on the stomach and lower abdomen. “We administered first-aid and also gave him a painkiller and referred him to a bigger hospital,” said Dr Shah. Since the family was from Kurla, they wanted to take the baby to Mumbai and admit him to a hospital in Sakinaka. They took the decision after the ultrasound report showed internal bleeding.Traffic on NH48, though, barely moved and the family was stuck in their car between Vasai and Fountain Hotel for hours. Around 7pm, his family saw him motionless and took him to the nearest doctor, who confirmed the child had passed away.Sushant Patil, president, Bhumiputra Foundation, called the snarl stretching 10-12km a complete failure of the traffic department to implement deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde’s orders. “Shinde had ordered the entry of heavy vehicles in Vasai-Virar city limits only between 12am and 6am. However, heavy vehicles are seen blocking one complete lane on the highway or parking by the roadside beyond the stipulated time limit,” said Patil. A senior NHAI official said, “Our white-topping activity is almost complete but the traffic on NH48 is due to the traffic on Ghodbunder Road and also due to the heavy vehicles occupying one lane to park, waiting for their turn to enter the city limits.” The official said due to regular traffic, they are unable to carry out their maintenance activities on the highway.
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