Jaipur Highway Accident - Full Incident Explained
The recent explosion on the Jaipur-Kishangarh highway that killed 14 people has thrown a harsh spotlight on the persistent dangers of India's road infrastructure. Identified as a high-risk "blackspot," the Bhankrota section of NH-48 was already flagged by Indian highway authorities for its hazardous conditions. However, incomplete safety measures and administrative delays have now culminated in a catastrophic loss of life.
A Blackspot Ignored
The Bhankrota stretch, where the tragedy occurred, is one of seven identified danger zones on the Jaipur-Kishangarh route. Yet, even though the NHAI has marked it as a blackspot, data available up to November shows that just 55% of planned safety measures had been undertaken, the lowest progress rate among all identified blackspots in the region.
According to police records, there have been 84 accidents in 2024, with a total of 38 dead and 54 injured at the Bhankrota section alone. December had seen seven crashes before the fatal explosion on December 20.
What Happened?
The disaster occurred at 5:25 AM when a truck hit an LPG tanker making a U-turn near Delhi Public School. The accident resulted in a huge fireball that engulfed 34 vehicles. The toll has increased to 14, and seven people have been left missing while most others are injured critically.
Local residents and officials assert that the U-turn's narrow and congested design was a major reason. Kailash Chand, whose shop got damaged in the fire, rued, "This U-turn should be closed for heavy vehicles as the space is extremely narrow."
Heroism Amid Tragedy
In the midst of the inferno, a 32-year-old man, Radheyshyam Choudhary, emerged from the blaze, his body burned from head to toe. He walked about 600 meters with his arms stretched out, pleading for help. Sadly, like in many other cases, bystanders first grabbed their cameras to capture videos rather than calling for help. After some time, a compassionate bystander came to help him. Videos of Choudhary writhing in pain and trying to stand quickly circulated on social media, drawing attention to the disturbing apathy of bystanders.
Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph confirmed that an outlet nozzle of the LPG tanker was broken in the collision, which caused gas leakage and led to the fire. The fire spread within minutes, engulfing several vehicles behind the tanker as well as those coming in the opposite direction, so that the occupants had no chance to escape. People were seen running and stripping off clothes set ablaze by fire.
Historical Warnings Ignored
This is not the first incident at this location. In October, an LPG tanker overturned at the same U-turn, though no explosion occurred. Drishat Khan, a resident, criticized the authorities for their inaction: "The government did not care about common lives."
Inadequate Safety Measures
The NHAI identified 40 blackspots across Rajasthan’s highways, with 12 on NH-48 alone. While work has been completed at four locations, sites like Bhankrota and Hirapura power house lag far behind schedule. Ajay Arya, NHAI’s project director, cited challenges in densely populated areas as a primary hurdle.
"The U-turn was made 30 meters wide along with traffic lights and road signs," said Arya. "But we are expanding the road to 10 lanes with a wider radius of the turn." Nevertheless, with all these works, fast action could have avoided such a recent mishap by many people.
Response to Local Government
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma declared a budget of ₹2,350 crore to repair dangerous stretches of roads in Rajasthan. In a special meeting, Sharma instructed PwD to ensure good quality construction and meet the deadlines.
"Stringent actions should also be taken against those violating quality parameters," Sharma stated. The PwD is working on 176 blackspots with a March 2025 deadline, while the Jaipur Development Authority has allocated ₹21.72 crore to address 30 additional hazardous locations within the city.
Lessons from Bhankrota
Friday's accident is a grim reminder of what administrative delays and poor planning can lead to. Only concerted efforts by the police, NHAI, JDA, and the local residents could have prevented such tragedies. As Shyam Nagar SHO Dalbeer Singh confessed, "We have all failed drastically over the years."
While this highway carries a huge number of daily traffic, 100,000 passenger car units on NH-48 daily, timely and effective safety intervention here is not only necessary but urgent. Until such times when comprehensive solutions are found, blackspots like Bhankrota will only symbolize systemic failure endangering countless lives every passing day.
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