#Lifeisprecious

He was the light of their lives, the sole wage-earner for his aged mother and sister, since his father’s death years ago. Setting off for Delhi where he worked, he promised his sister that he would return for Raksha Bandhan.

But the deadly Yamuna Expressway along which he was travelling ensured that he didn’t.It took 29 lives that day. Sons, brothers, daughters, wives, husbands, mothers, fathers…. All gone.

29 families shattered.

I was a witness to the trauma and suffering of the families as the horrible scene of death unfolded some time back at Yamuna expressway. I felt their pain, their tragic loss.

A stray incident? An accident?No.

In 2019, News18 published a story titled: “​​Killer Stretch: Yamuna Expressway Claimed About 900 Lives in Over 5,000 Accidents Since 2012”. On 13th May 2022, Times of India quoted information sourced from Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) saying: In the first four months of this year, the Yamuna Expressway, 33 people have died in 93 accidents. 153 suffered injuries. In 2021, there were 420 accidents in which 135 people died and 949 were injured. In 2020, there were 509 accidents and 128 deaths. While the number of accidents has marginally reduced, the number of deaths have increased.

Tragedies on expressways and highways will come down if the Government acts on the recommendations by the Central Road Research institute (CRRI). The CRRI’s 2015 report recommends- installation of crashbarriers, installation of speed arrestors (transverse rows of road studs) every five kilometres sandwiched between two sets of transverse bar markings or TBMs, strict enforcement of speed limit of 100 kmh allowed, the enforcement, putting up additional speed cameras equipped with Automatic Number Plate Reader System and a conventional Road Safety Audit (RSA) of the entire Yamuna Expressway.

I strongly believe a crash barrier can make the difference between life and death for the thousands of commuters on the busy Yamuna Expressway.

Until a clear picture emerges of steps taken for commuter safety, join me in raising a collective voice to the state and central government telling them that we want an ‘Expressway of Life’, not of Death. Sign my petition.

We want Crash barriers installed and urgent measures taken up to ensure maximum safety of travellers on this Expressway.

If we remain silent, we ourselves, or our precious family members may one day become victims of another ‘accident’ on this Expressway.

Some people might believe that ‘ accidents’ just happen, they are beyond our control. But the truth is that they CAN be prevented, and many lives can be saved.

Let’s help prevent accidents. Let’s help save precious lives. Let’s make the Yamuna Expressway Safe. #Lifeisprecious #YamunaexpresswayNotYamrajpath

Sign and share my petition urging the centre and the Uttar Pradesh government to install crash barriers and other safety measures on Yamuna expressway to save precious lives.

Please click – If you want to sign my petition in Hindi - http://change.org/JaanSastiNahin