Nagpur: A 10-foot incomplete patch on Inner Ring Road in Mankapur claimed the life of a 51-year-old resident of Shanti Nagar. This is probably the second time a life has been snuffed out on this patch between Mankapur and Jafar Nagar, which has caused several accidents in the past.The fatal accident occurred near Passport Seva Kendra when deceased, Narendra Mahajan, was returning home from work on Sept 11 night.The exact events leading to Mahajan’s death are still not known, but he was found lying in a pool of blood on the spot where the 18m-wide road narrows down to a single lane due to incomplete cement road work. While vehicles speed away on the single lane, the second lane has turned into a large crater, said residents.A couple of years back, 58-year-old Shravan Thakre, a resident of Gumthala, was crushed to death on same spot.The 37-km Inner Ring Road built at a cost of 260 crore was ready by May 2021, but the patch in Mankapur remains incomplete. Public Works Department (PWD), which has executed the project, has been unable to get through a land acquisition litigation and encroachments near the spot to complete the remaining work for the last five years.A PWD official said the second lane at the spot has now been concretised to ensure vehicles don’t skid.Residents said they had been red-flagging the hazard for a long time, but PWD didn’t heed their pleas. “PWD woke up from its slumber only after the patch claimed another life. The PWD engineer lives just opposite this spot,” residents said.Mankapur police said an accidental death report has been filed while an investigation is under way. Mahajan’s son Nihal, a BTech student, said they don’t know how the accident took place. “I need to take care of my mother and studies. I don’t have the means and strength to pursue a legal battle,” he said.PWD has also dug up a trench for an underground water pipeline opposite the same spot to widen the road. PWD officials said NMC is unable to give them a shutdown to complete the work. “Several two-wheeler riders have fallen in the trench in the last few days. PWD didn’t barricade the trench which is hardly visible once it gets dark,” residents said.
