A 42-year-old man died after his motorcycle collided head-on with a loading vehicle on the Ichhapur-Warauli road in Madhya Pradesh’s Burhanpur district on Monday, with villagers alleging that overgrown roadside bushes had made the bend dangerous by blocking drivers’ view of approaching traffic.
The deceased was identified as Manoj Madhav Ingle, a resident of Warauli village. The collision took place under the limits of Shahpur police station, police said. A local resident told the Times of India that the loading vehicle was travelling at speed near a stepwell used by villagers to draw drinking water when it struck Ingle’s motorcycle.
After receiving information about the crash, the Dial 112 team from Shahpur police reached the spot. The police team prepared an inquest report and sent the body for post-mortem examination. An investigation into the circumstances of the collision is under way.
The incident has also brought renewed attention to the condition of the road and the visibility problems reported by residents at the bend. Villagers said roadside vegetation had grown to the point that motorists could not clearly see vehicles approaching from the opposite direction. They alleged that repeated complaints to the public works department seeking removal of the bushes had not resulted in clearance.
Ravindra Patil, a representative of the village sarpanch, said the road was built by the PWD and had not been cleared despite repeated complaints. He said residents had submitted a memorandum to the district collector and claimed that the crash was the third accident at the same location. According to Patil, residents had not received an assurance of action.
Patil also said the contractor responsible for the work had been reminded several times, but allegedly responded that his machinery was out of order. Villagers are seeking immediate removal of the bushes and repairs to the road, citing the risk to motorists using the route and people accessing the nearby stepwell.
The PWD’s response to the complaints, the condition of the road and the allegations concerning the contractor was not available in the report. Police action and the post-mortem examination will form part of the ongoing investigation into the death.
