A 24-year old riding his bike was run over by a water tanker at Maduravoyal on Saturday.
According to the police, Dinesh Kumar, 24, a native of Tenkasi in Tirunelvelli district, was working as a designer at an IT company in Chennai. In the evening, as he was coming from Poonamalee and reached Koyambedu, a private water tanker hit his vehicle. Dinesh Kumar died on the spot. Motorists informed the police control room and the Koyambedu Traffic Investigation Wing registered a case.
The body was sent to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. The tanker driver Kumar, 47, was arrested and remanded in judicial custody. Last year, the traffic police restricted plying of tanker lorries between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. to reduce fatal accidents.
However, on a request from lorry owners, the police revised the timings and restricted their movement during peak hours between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and from 5 p.m to 9 p.m. Metrowater lorries were provided alternative routes.
Recently, the police removed the restrictions to help meet demand for water.
But two fatal accidents have been reported so far. Subsequently, a traffic police team headed by R. Sudhakar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Traffic (South), held a meeting with the private water lorry owners, and those driving on a contract basis for Metrowater. The owners were asked to rein in rash drivers.
“We told them that strict action would be taken if they indulge in rash or drunken driving,” a senior police officer said. S. Murugan, State Secretary, Tamil Nadu Private Water Tanker Operators Association, said that a total of 4,000 private water lorries are being operated in the city.
“We have instructed our drivers to drive carefully. Besides, all our vehicles are new and have good braking systems. Lorries that run on Metrowater contract are changed once in seven years and private vehicles are changed once in 10 years,” he added.
