Four die, 1,235 injured in accidents on Eid holidays

LAHORE: At least four people died and more than 1,235 were injured in road accidents across the City during Eid holidays on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Rescue officials said 515 of the injured were admitted to Lahore General Hospital, 130 to Jinnah Hospital, 180 to Services Hospital, 337 to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and 99 to Mayo Hospital.



Rescue officials and doctors at the hospitals said a majority of those hospitalised had been injured in accidents involving motorcycles. Doctors said many of the injured appeared to be under-age drivers. A Rescue official said traffic in the City was usually sparse on Eid days. “Some commuters drive too fast and that results in accidents,” the official said.Rescue 1122 Director General Arshad Zia said the service had received more than 3,000 calls on chand raat (Tuesday night) and on Eid on Wednesday. Out of these, 236 were about road accidents. He said that nearly 80 per cent of the accidents involved motorcycles.

City Traffic Police had made a plan to manage traffic during Eid holidays. As many as 2,535 traffic wardens, 270 patrolling officers, 109 inspectors, 13 DSPs and three SPs worked in two shifts. The focus was on congregations, recreational places and markets.

Traffic police said they had made a strategy, in coordination with precinct police and the Dolphin Squad, to check wheelies. Officials from the anti-wheeling squad, the Dolphin Squad and district police had been deployed at several crossings and roads for the purpose.



As many as 40 motorcyclists arrested for doing wheelies were produced before magistrates in Faisal Town, Race Course and Factory Area. Muslim Town, Race Course and Civil Lines police said they had arrested 90 motorcyclists for doing wheelies. Family members of some of the suspects accused police of arresting them wrongfully. They alleged that police had asked for bribes to release them.

Muslim Town, Civil Lines and Race Course SHOs denied the allegations. The Muslim Town SHO said they had registered 15 FIRs over wheelies.

He said 37 suspects were produced before courts that had granted them bail. He said the remaining suspects would also be presented before courts. The Civil Lines SHO said they had registered nine cases against those doing wheelies. He said 14 suspects had been produced before a court. The Race Course SHO said they had registered nine cases in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2016.