The Mai Kolachi Road has not been reopened to traffic more than 18 hours after a trailer and an oil tanker crashed into a freight train at the unmanned railway crossing on the thoroughfare. Long queues of heavy vehicles stretch on Mai Kolachi Road as traffic is being diverted to alternate routes while police and railway authorities have not been able to give the all-clear.
The bizarre crash, which took place in the early hours of Friday, has triggered a row between the Oil Tanker Contractors Association and Railways authorities. SP Traffic for District West Noorul Haq Rind blamed the Railways, saying that there was heavy traffic on Mai Kolachi Road from 11pm to 6am at the time of the accident.
According to SP Rind, the oil tanker, which was carrying 48,000 litres of petrol, was transferred to another tanker by 8.30am, and the road was closed to prevent further untoward incidents.
He went on to add that Mai Kolachi Road doesn't have a manned railway crossing, while no advance warning was given to the Traffic Police regarding the passage of the freight train. "No railway staff was present at the site at the time of the accident," he added.
On the other hand, Railways authorities claimed that freight trains do not pass through the Mai Kolachi Road crossing every day, and that trains arrive only occasionally when goods are transported from the port.
The Oil Tanker Contractors Association criticised the Railways for the crash, pointing out that the lack of a crossing gate and railways staff led to the disaster. Association President Abidullah Afridi said that the tanker driver, who lost a leg in the collision, was the victim of circumstances beyond his control. He called for financial compensation for the injured driver and his family, adding that an FIR will be registered against the railway administration.
Meanwhile, Railways Station Superintendent for Kaemari Shahbaz Zaidi said that investigations into the accident were ongoing. Daily freight trains pass through the Mai Kolachi Road area, but the absence of Railways staff during the incident will be clarified only after the inquiry.
According to the spokesperson for Helpline 1915, traffic has been restored on the track from Tower to Boat Basin, and efforts are ongoing to reopen the road from Boat Basin to Tower.
Though the truckers and police blame the Railways for not putting up a gate, the question remains why the truck driver didn't see the coming locomotive. A train is not a bike that trucks can crush and pass on.
In their haste they tried to out run the train, but got caught in the middle of the tracks causing colossal loss to the federal government. As per law, the trucking company and the driver will be held responsible for disrupting the railways traffic and causing loss to the national exchequer.
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