Big News: Three Die After 40-Hour Traffic Jam, NHAI Questions Why People Travel Early

Indore(The Uttam Hindu): Three people died after being trapped for 40 hours in a massive traffic jam on the Indore-Devas Road in Madhya Pradesh on Friday. The victims included Kamal Panchal (62) from Indore, Balram Patel (55) from Shujalpur, and Sandeep Patel (32) from Gari Piplya village. Two suffered heart attacks, while one patient died when his oxygen supply ran out before reaching the hospital. The jam was caused by incomplete road construction, which left vehicles stranded in sweltering heat.

During a hearing on the incident, the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Indore bench issued notices to the central government and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), sharply criticizing their failure to complete roadworks despite repeated deadlines.

NHAI’s lawyer described reports of deaths as misleading and questioned why people leave their homes in such haste, a response that shocked the court. NHAI blamed a 10-day crusher unit strike for the delays, but the court noted it had already granted months for the project’s completion. Earlier, the court had ordered the road fixed within a month, but seven months later, conditions remain dire. The next hearing is scheduled for July 7 as the court demands accountability for the fatalities and prolonged public inconvenience.