BHUBANESWAR: A 63-year-old man was killed after being hit by a speeding truck in Mancheswar Industrial Estate on Thursday evening.
The victim, Gangadhar Senapati was on his way home at Chakeisiani when the truck hit him in Dharma Kanta area, a few metres away from World Skill Centre. Sources said the driver attempted to flee but locals chased and nabbed him. “Initial investigation suggests the accident took place after 5 pm. The driver has been arrested and the truck seized,” said an officer of Mancheswar police station. Sources said Senapati owned a grocery shop in ID Market and was returning home when the incident took place.
Irked over the incident, locals staged a road blockade for several minutes demanding compensation for the deceased’s family. They said trucks, driven rashly by their drivers in Mancheswar Industrial Estate, pose grave risk to people. Police disbursed the protestors but traffic in the area was disrupted for some time owing to the mishap and the blockade.
Around 5,467 people had lost their lives in Odisha due to road accidents in 2022 and 5,696 in 2023. Khurda is among the districts in the state which witnessed a rise in road accident -related fatalities in the last two years. Around 332 and 385 people were killed in road accidents in 2022 and 2023 respectively.