Rash driving: Scores wounded in accidents in city

Many admitted at Lady Reading Hospital, Hayatabad Medical Complex

PESHAWAR: Scores of people were injured across the city in accidents caused by rash driving and one-wheeling on the eve of Independence Day. They were admitted to Lady Reading Hospital and Hayatabad Medical Complex for treatment.

Officials privy to the development told The Express Tribune, the people were injured in 16 accidents that occurred in the city. A majority of them were riding motorbikes.

Separately, 18 people were reportedly injured in road accidents of a similar nature in Nowshera.

Violating rules

A traffic police official told The Express Tribune over 200 motorcyclists were charged for violating traffic rules in different areas. He said most of them were fined for using altered silencers, one-wheeling and rough driving.

Similarly, three people were injured on Independence Day celebrations within the jurisdiction of Hashtnagri police station. According to the police, three people were injured when they were one-wheeling on a major road. After the incident, Rescue 1122 workers shifted them to LRH where they are in stable condition. Separately, the police arrested 50 people for violating traffic rules in the city on Independence Day. According to a police official, those arrested were involved in one-wheeling, unlawful parking and dancing near a security zone. The police official registered cases and started investigation.

Inconvenienced

Meanwhile, people were irked by the suspension of cellular network services across the city for over two hours from 8am till 10am on Sunday. The move was taken to ensure security on Independence Day.

Those who were away from their homes were unhappy over the move to suspend cellular networks on such occasions.

Ahmad Ali, who is working at a private firm in Peshawar, told The Express Tribune it was wrong to suspend mobile services on Independence Day.

He added, “If they [government] fear security threats, they should not organise events rather than suspending the mobile services as this is not the solution to the issue.”

However, the services started resuming from 10am onwards when major events in the city concluded. Police officials said over 600 police personnel were deployed across the city, of which over 90 provided security to major events that were held at Civil Secretariat where Chief Minister Pervez Khatak was the chief guest.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2016.