Two days after a national-level athlete was run over by a dump truck, the leader of the Opposition in Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), AAP councillor Payal Sakariya, has demanded strict action against the contractual agency that had hired the driver holding a learning licence. She also demanded that action be taken against SMC officials for negligence.
Sakariya, in a letter to Surat Municipal Commissioner Shalini Agrawal on Monday, requested her to take strict action against the accused in the incident. The letter further stated that given the seriousness of the matter, it is necessary to set an example by taking stern action against the agency and the officials responsible for the tragedy.
On Saturday, a speeding truck carrying garbage hit a moped driven by national athlete and second-year B Com student Vidhi Kadam (19), causing her death on the spot.
Sakariya wrote in the letter, “Thousands of vehicles of SMC roam in the city limits under the contractual agency to run city and BRTS buses besides garbage-collection vehicles. The agencies are responsible for taking care of the health of these vehicles. As such vehicles ply on the city roads with heavy traffic, the agency personnel should strictly comply with the rules and regulations as stated by the government. The SMC officials allotting such work are responsible for ensuring that laws and regulations are duly followed by the agency’s people.”
She pointed out that in the recent incident, the agency had given the job to drive a heavily loaded garbage vehicle to a man who was still holding a learner’s licence. “This violated the terms and conditions outlined in the agency’s contract. A national-level emerging athlete had lost her life, as the garbage vehicle was being driven by an inexperienced driver. The SMC officials and the agency should be held responsible, and action should be taken against them,” she added.
Sakariya further wrote: “An emerging Surat athlete lost her life in a road accident. It is the responsibility of the SMC commissioner to take stern action against the officials responsible for negligence and the contractual agency that had given a vehicle to a person who did not have a driving licence.”
Kadam was set to represent Gujarat in a national meet of 100-meters and 200-meters athletic later this month.
