To tackle increasing road congestion, accidents, and public inconvenience, the traffic department has banned all heavy vehicles entering Bhiwandi city, an official said on Sunday, reported news agency PTI.
The notification has been issued by Thane`s Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Pankaj Shirsat.
Bhiwandi is an industrial hub on the Mumbai-Gujarat and Mumbai-Nashik routes. The city witnesses a large volume of heavy vehicles daily. With a population of nearly 1.3 million, it has approximately 4.5 lakh registered vehicles, the official said, reported PTI.
Under the new order, heavy vehicles will be restricted from entering the city via Wanjarpatti Naka, Ranjanoli Naka, Anjurphata, and Talvali Naka. Alternative routes have been provided for the movement of the vehicles, he said, reported PTI.
Fire engines, ambulances, police vehicles, and other essential service vehicles are exempted from this order.
The ban, effective from August 23, will remain in force until further notice, Shirsat said.
Doctor falls on road after scooter hits pothole, gets crushed by truck in Bhiwandi
Meanwhile, a 58-year-old doctor was killed after his scooter hit a pothole, causing him to fall and get crushed by a truck in Maharashtra`s Thane district, police said on Sunday, reported PTI.
The accident occurred near Vanjar Patti Naka in Bhiwandi town on Friday night, an official said.
The official said the victim, Dr Naseem Ansari, was returning home on his scooter when it hit a pothole, causing him to fall and come under the rear wheel of a truck, reported PTI.
Locals rushed Ansari to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where doctors declared him dead, he said, reported PTI.
The accident, captured on CCTV, quickly went viral and sparked public outrage.
Residents staged protests over poor road conditions and civic negligence, alleging that ongoing repair work on the APJ Abdul Kalam Bridge forced heavy vehicles onto city roads, making conditions dangerous, reported PTI.
The Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation`s PRO, Shrikant Pardeshi, said road repairs could only be carried out at night, reported PTI.
Truck driver Mohammad Bilal Mohammed Aslam has been arrested, and a probe has begun. The truck, however, did not hit the doctor directly, but the uneven road caused the fatal fall, Senior PI Vishwas Dagale said, reported PTI.
Local MLA Rais Shaikh has demanded FIRs against civic officials, warning of large-scale agitations if pothole-ridden roads remain unrepaired.
(With inputs from PTI)
