KATHMANDU: In Chitwan, a staggering toll of 115 lives lost to road accidents has been recorded over the fiscal year spanning mid-July 2023 to mid-July 2024.
The district’s highways saw a disproportionately higher number of accidents and fatalities compared to the inner roads.
Of the deceased, 92 were men, 19 women, and tragically, four were children. During this period, 445 vehicles were involved in accidents, resulting in injuries to 832 individuals.
When will it end?
Chief of the District Traffic Police Office, Suresh Subedi, reported that the inner roads accounted for 250 accidents, claiming 50 lives and injuring 382 others.
Particularly perilous were the East-West Highway, Narayanghat-Mugling road section, and Prithvi Highway, where a combined total of 57 fatalities occurred.
Specifically, 26 deaths and 204 injuries resulted from 96 accidents on the East-West Highway, while the Narayanghat-Mugling road section claimed 21 lives and injured 151 individuals in 55 accidents.
Similarly, accidents on the Prithvi Highway claimed 10 lives and injured 62 others across 18 incidents.
Urban roads within the district witnessed 26 accidents, resulting in eight fatalities and 33 injuries.
Overall, 303 vehicles were involved in accidents throughout the fiscal year 2022/23, leading to 78 deaths and 581 injuries.
Subedi expressed concern over the ineffectiveness of the ongoing efforts to curb these incidents, stating, “Despite extensive measures to reduce accidents, the impact has been minimal.”
The district recorded a total of 663 road mishaps in the past fiscal year, underscoring the persistent challenge of road safety in Chitwan.
