After three devotees were mowed down by speeding vehicles on the national highway while on a padayatra (pilgrimage on foot) to Mariamman Temple at Samayapuram on Tuesday night, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has put in place temporary safety measures. With scores of devotees from various districts taking out padayatra to the famed temple, NHAI has begun providing them with reflective sticks to carry during night hours so as to alert vehicles of their presence.
Highway patrol vehicles began distribution of the wooden safety sticks pasted with reflective stickers and bands on Tiruchi-Karur national highway on Tuesday night. The plan is to provide safety sticks to devotees on foot along Tiruchi-Ulundurpet, Karur-Tiruchi, Dindigul-Tiruchi and Madurai-Tiruchi stretches of the national highway falling under NHAI, Project Implementation Unit, Tiruchi., said a senior NHAI official.
Three persons, including a woman, died and four others were injured after a speeding lorry ploughed into a group of devotees, who were on a padayatra to Samayapuram temple, on Dindigul-Tiruchi national highway near Manapparai early on Tuesday. A similar fatal accident involving devotees occurred at Ulundurpet a few days ago. According to the official, the two accidents have prompted NHAI to put in place a few safety measures to avert such tragic occurrences and save the lives of devotees. Distribution of safety sticks is one such measure. The reflective sticks will alert the drivers of vehicles, especially those coming from behind, about the movement of people along stretches where there ais no lighting. Highway patrol vehicles stationed along different stretches have been asked to increase patrolling on their stretches at night. Also, NHAI has planned to put up shamianas with carpet near toll plazas along the highways to enable devotees to take rest at night and resume their journey the next morning. The makeshift shelters will be have drinking water facility and arrangements will also be made to provide tea, the official further said.
The rest areas with sign boards will be set up near nine toll plazas falling under NHAI, Tiruchi. “The tragic incidents on the highways have prompted us to take up some measures for their safety,” the official said.
Soon after the accident near Manapparai, Superintendent of Police, Tiruchi, Sujit Kumar inspected the spot. He interacted with some devotees sensitising them to safety aspects. He pasted reflective stickers on the bags of some devotees.
