Rishabh Pant Accident: Highway-side canal being diverted to prevent mishaps

Responding to ETV Bharat's exclusive report, the Irrigation Department of Uttarakhand and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began works to divert the canal and widen the road at the spot where cricketer Rishabh Pant's car met with an accident on the Delhi-Dehradun National Highway. The diversion of the canal is underway and is stated to be diverted 4.5 meters away from the present spot.

Dehradun:Acting on the insightful coverage of ETV Bharat, Uttarakhand's Irrigation Department initiated canal diversion works to widen the highway at the spot where cricketer Rishabh Pant's car met with an accident. The canal, as per ETV Bharat's report, is one of the reasons for the frequent accidents at the spot on the Delhi-Dehradun highway. It became accident prone as the canal occupies a portion of the highway making it difficult for drivers to dodge it.

After ETV Bharat highlighted the issue, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Irrigation Department of the state came together to divert the canal and expand the National Highway. Rishabh Pant's car crashed into the canal side of the highway and went up in flames. And not just him, over the past few years, the spot has witnessed a number of accidents, the report says.

With Pant's accident, locals raised the issue of the canal, partially blocking free flow of traffic on the road. Despite multiple complaints made in the past, the authorities didn't pay any heed to it. People blamed pits, car speed and other reasons behind such accidents till now, but ETV Bharat's reporter met with the locals and brought to light a major problem leading to such accidents.

The tussle between the NHAI and the Irrigation Department was going on for many years, but with Pant's accident, the authorities have swung into action and are mutually coordinating to redirect the canal. The Irrigation Department has written a letter to the NHAI in this regard. The work to remove the debris has started and officials of both departments frequently visit the spot to inspect the ongoing work.

The NHAI, while constructing the highway years ago, had written to the Irrigation Department about the presence of the canal. It sought the diversion of the canal for the broadening of the highway. But the department had refused to comply. NHAI Deputy General Manager Raghav Mishra said, "Due to this canal, a large part of the road was blocked. Now the work of widening the road has started. After that, a lot of changes will be seen on the highway. The work will be completed as soon as possible."