Yamuna Expressway
From: Avijit Ghosh, March 22, 2018: The Times of India
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Contents |
Accidents
2012-15: Accidents on Yamuna e-way
The Times of India, Nov 06 2015
For more, See Road accidents: India
105 died on Yamuna e-way from Jan-Sept
Ftal accidents on the Yamuna Expressway have risen alarmingly despite a slew of road safety campaigns. Between this January and September, 105 people died in 656 accidents on the stretch, an RTI filed by the Agra Development Foundation, an Agra-based social organisation, says. Last year, the number of accidents stood at 771 and deaths at 127, reports Aditya Dev.
Year 2013 saw the most accidents, at 896, in which 118 people died. The RTI reply further says 2,598 accidents and 383 deaths have taken place on the expressway between August 9, 2012 and September 30, 2015. The number of fatal acci dents on the Yamuna Expressway seems to be going up each year, with the slew of campaigns being run on traffic rules and road safety guidelines showing very little or no impact whatsoever.
While the average number of accidents each month (many smaller ones go unreported) has increased substantially, from 64 in 2014 to 73 this year, so have the fatalities.Twelve persons lost their lives per month this year on this dangerous stretch; it was 11 in the previous year, prompting activists to say that the situation is going from bad to worse and better policing and enforcement is urgently needed.
An RTI query filed by Agra Development Foundation, a city-based social organisation, on the matter revealed in an answer that as many as 105 persons lost their lives in 656 accidents between January and September this year, while 127 commuters died in 771 accidents in the 12 months of 2014.
The RTI revealed that 2013 has been the deadliest, with 896 accidents reported. A total of 118 had died that year. KC Jain, ADF secretary , said, “The number of accidents on the e-way has been rising ever since it was opened for public on August 9, 2012.Following the RTI reply we have written to UP CM Akhilesh Yadav seeking his intervention in the matter.“
ADF had filed a PIL in the Allahabad high court on the rising number of accidents along the 165 km-long e-way connecting Noida to Agra.Consequently , the court directed the organization to send its suggestions to the state's high level committee on road safety on measures to reduce accidents. “However, instead of the situation improving, more accidents have taken place,“ said Jain, adding, “the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority has been lax in curbing the menace of speeding, the main reason for fatal accidents on the e-way .The authority has left this issue to the private concessionaire and is not taking any stringent step itself.“
The RTI reply further says that altogether 2,598 accidents and 383 deaths have taken place on the expressway between August 9, 2012 and September 30, 2015.
2012-17
RTI Reply States 626 Deaths In 4,505 Crashes Since 2012
An RTI reply has revealed that in just the first six months of 2017, 78 people have died in road accidents on the Yamuna Expressway .Between January 1 and June 30, 2017, a total of 432 road accidents were registered by police on the 196km-long AgraDelhi expressway .
According to the reply , in five-and-a-half years since its opening, the expressway has seen deaths of 626 people in 4,505 accidents, with 2016 reporting the highest number of accidents in a year.
In 1,193 accidents, 128 people lost their lives in 2016, while 919 accidents in 2015 resulted in deaths of 142 people.
Similarly , in 2014, 127 people died in 772 accidents, while there were 118 deaths in 898 accidents in 2013. Between August 9, 2012, when the expressway became operational, and December 31 of that year, 33 people died in 294 accidents.
In June, the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) after a study claimed that most of the accidents along the expressway were taking place between 1 am and 5 am, as motorists are inattentive during the “graveyard hours“.
It was also decided in the light of the study that Jaypee Infratech, the concessionaire of the 165km-stretch connecting Greater Noida with Agra, will offer tea and coffee to the drivers at three toll plazas along the route to ensure that they do not doze off at the wheels.
Brigadier (retd) PK Sheghal, in-charge of expressway operations, told TOI, “During a meeting on safety on the route, in which senior officials of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), RITES, police and private concessionaire Jaypee Infratech participated, a unanimous decision was taken to s erve tea, coffee and water to motorists. The move is aimed at reducing accidents on the expressway .“
According to K C Jain, secretary of NGO Agra Development Foundation, who filed the RTI query , “There are two main reasons for such a high number of fatalities on the road overspeeding and tyre bursts.“
2012-18
718 deaths on Yamuna e-way in 5 years: RTI, April 1, 2019: The Times of India
A total of 4,956 accidents, 718 deaths and 7,671 serious injuries were recorded on the Yamuna Expressway between August 2012 to March 31, 2018, revealed an RTI reply.
The alarming number of fatal road accidents on the Yamuna Expressway has caused widespread concern, calling for effective intervention of the Central and State government agencies.
Information culled out by RTI activist and Supreme Court lawyer K C Jain revealed that 718 deaths due to fatal accidents were recorded on the Expressway, the number of seriously injured was equally alarming at over 7,671.
Jain said: “We have written to government agencies to take effective steps to curb the menace of speed driving but our pleas have fallen on deaf years.
“An independent agency should monitor movement on the Expressway and should follow up information received from the Jaypee Infotech about speed violations. We have written to the UP chief minister about this.”
Since January, more than 130 accidents have taken place at the Expressway that claimed over 50 lives.
Drivers not only violate speed limits but drive without wearing helmets and seat belts, Jain said.
Between August 2012 to March 2018, 2.33 crore vehicles violated speed limits, data provided by automatic surveillance gadgets and number plate readers installed at various points showed, he claimed. “But violaters are not booked and go scot free.”
Data available from the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority revealed that 23.42% accidents were caused due to over speeding while 12% accidents due to tyre bursting. IANS
Toll tax
Delhi to Jewar, Mathura and Agra
The Times of India, Apr 03 2015
Yamuna e-way toll to Agra up by Rs 30
Vandana Keelor
Motorists using the Yamuna expressway will now have to shell out more money towards toll tax. In the second rate revision in three months, the toll for cars for a one-way trip to Agra from Greater Noida has gone up by Rs 30 from April 1. However, the concessionaire said this was technically not a toll hike, but the withdrawal of a discount offered to vehicles since 2012, when it was opened for traffic.
The new toll rate for cars is Rs 360 (up by Rs 30) while it is Rs 175 (up by Rs 10) for twowheelers for a one-way trip to Agra from Greater Noida. For buses and trucks, there is no change in the rate, which continues to stand at Rs 1150.
Tax for mini-buses and other light commercial vehicles (LCVs) has also been hiked by Rs 15 to Rs 565. The rate for multi-axle vehicles is unchanged at Rs 1,765. But, for oversized or multi-axle vehicles, it is Rs 2,250.
Officials of Jaypee Infratech said the toll fee rise re flects a hike ranging from 3% to 20%, and the revision has been approved by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority and notified by state government.
Expressway users will now be charged R 2.20 per km for light vehicles like cars and jeeps, Rs 3.45 for medium heavy vehicles and light commercial vehicles like minibuses, and Rs 7 for buses and trucks. While heavy construction machinery or earth moving equipment will be charged Rs 10.75, multi-axle heavy vehicles will be charged Rs 13.70 instead of Rs 13.75 per km.
The expressway has three toll plazas located at Jewar (38 km), Mathura (94km) and Agra (150km). “Commuters travelling to Jewar are charged toll for 0 to 48km. The rate for this section of expressway has not been raised for twowheelers. For four-wheelers like cars and LCVs, its now Rs 105 and Rs 165 respectively,“ said a Jaypee spokesperson.
He added, “The rates for two-wheelers for the Mathura section (48 to 109km) has also not been enhanced but the fee for four-wheelers is now up by 3.8% to Rs 135.“ Rates for vehicles travelling along the Agra section will have to pay a toll of Rs 60 instead of Rs 50.
Traffic violations and penalties
2012-17
From: Arvind Chauhan, Over 2.3cr speeding cars on e-way, only 18k fined, March 19, 2018: The Times of India
Just 164 Drivers Booked For Rash Driving Since Aug 2012
Since August, 2012, when the Yamuna Expressway was opened for traffic, over 2.3 crore vehicles were detected breaking the speed limit till December 31, 2017, but only 17,883 were issued challans by traffic police in four UP districts of Agra, Aligarh, Mathura and Gautam Budh Nagar. Only 164 drivers have been challaned for rash driving over this period. During the same period, 7.65 crore drivers used the expressway.
The fact was revealed in a reply by Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority to an RTI query by Agra-based NGO Agra Development Foundation (ADF) and a self-sworn affidavit filed by assistant prosecution officer Rajesh Kumar of state transport department against a PIL filed by ADF in January this year at Allahabad high court.
The highest number of cases of speeding vehicles was reported from Gautam Budh Nagar police jurisdiction (1.07 crore) followed by Mathura (70.1 lakh) and Agra (53.3 lakh).
According to the data, the expressway reported 4,848 accidents and 626 fatalities between August 2012 and December 2017.
Further, the data revealed that out of the total challans for speeding between 2012 and 2017, 97% were issued by Gautam Budh Nagar police (17,373), followed by 275 by Mathura police and 235 by Agra police.
Speaking to TOI, chairperson of ADF, lawyer K C Jain said, “Years have passed but no concrete action plan has been developed by the authorities concerned to make the expressway safe for commuters. The data shows the callous attitude of the expressway authorities and police.”
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior official of the private concessionaire who operates the expressway said, “Our job is to facilitate commuters and provide data of traffic violations to the police. It is the job of police and transport officials to take action, which they haven’t although we have repeatedly provided this data to them.”
A senior Uttar Pradesh police officer said, “It is hard to control traffic violators and challan them for speeding on a regular basis on highways and expressways. There is a shortage of men, as the district police deploy most of their personnel for crime control. There is a need for a separate police wing to monitor highways and expressways. To curb the menace of speeding, we are going to introduce radar guns, so that policemen can themselves detected speeding vehicles and challan them.”
Uttar Pradesh traffic police additional director-general Monmohan Bashal said, “We will conduct a review meeting with the four district police units as well as with private concessionaire and find a solution to restrict speeding of vehicles.”
2012-17
A total of 626 people lost their lives in 4,848 road accidents on the 196-kilometre-long Yamuna Expressway ever since it was thrown open to public in August 2012, an RTI reply has revealed.
Between August 2012 and June 30, 2017, a total of 4,848 road accidents were registered by police on the stretch, in which 626 casualties were reported, with 2016 reporting the highest number of accidents in a year.
In 1,193 accidents in 2016, 128 people lost their lives on the Delhi-Agra expressway. In 2015, a total of 919 accidents were reported on the stretch which resulted into deaths of 142 people.
Similarly, in 2014, 127 lives were lost here in 771 accidents, while 118 deaths were reported in 896 accidents on the expressway in 2013. Between August 9, 2012, when the expressway became operational, and December 31 of that year, as many as 33 people had died in 294 accidents.
In June 2017, a study by Rail India Technical and Economic Service’s (RITES) claimed that most of the accidents along the expressway were taking place between 1 am and 5 am, as motorists are inattentive during the graveyard hours.
Following the study, a unanimous decision was taken by the authorities concerned that the private concessionaire, Jaypee Infratech, will serve tea, coffee and water to motorists during the late hours.
According to K C Jain, secretary of Agra Development Foundation, an NGO which filed the RTI query, said, “There are two main reasons for such great number fatalities – overspeeding and tyre bursts.”
According to the private concessioner, 30 speed cameras, 25 video-incident detection cameras and 19 CCTV cameras have been installed on the stretch to monitor the traffic movement. Apart from that, there are more than a dozen of ramble strips on the route, which alert drivers when they tend to fall asleep.
Between 2012 and 2017, a total of 7.65 crore drivers used the Yamuna Expressway.
Uses
As flight landing strip
Neha Lalchandani, IAF puts Agra e-way on flight path, October 25, 2017: The Times of India
Some of the most formidable fighters of the Indian Air Force showed their manoeuvres before landing on the specially developed stretch of 3.3km of the Lucknow-Agra expressway.
People from villages along the expressway , apart from special guests, watched Sukhoi-30s, Mirage 2000s, Jaguars and the showstopper C130J Super Hercu leus carry out landing on the country's longest expressway . The 302-km-long expressway was closed from both ends since Monday for the exercise. There were 15 aircraft that took part in the exercise at the specially-designed 3.3-km stretch near Bangarmau, Unnao district.
The show started with the arrival of C130J Super Hercules, which dropped Garud commandos and their vehicle on the airstrip.The C130J is a US-origin military transport, aerial re fuelling and loader aircraft, equipped with emergency backup resources. The aircraft needs a small stretch of runway to land or takeoff.
Once the Hercules took off for the Hindon air base in Ghaziabad, three Mirage 2000s, under the Tiger Squadron, flew past and returned for a touch-and-go, before the final touchdown.Then a set of three more Mirage 2000 aircraft, known as the Crossbow Squadron, made a similar manoeuvre.The aircraft had taken off from the Gwalior air base.
Soon, two Sukhoi 30s, followed by another three, carried out a flypast and returned for a touchdown before flying back to Bareilly. The final part of the show was three Jaguar aircraft. The `vic' formation called Arrow, took off from the Gorakhpur air base.The show ended with the Hercules returning to pick Garud commandos. This was the second time since its inauguration in November last year that the e-way played host to fighter aircraft.
