VELLORE: The Trauma Care and Road Safety Trust (TCARS) appealed to the Vellore MP, Senguttuvan to take steps to establish trauma care centres at accident-prone pockets such as Sathuvachari, Seduvalai, Pallikonda on the national highway.
The appeal was made by the general secretary of the trust, Dr Franco Benedict, to the MP when he had come to inaugurate the launching of the 40-foot banner that was put up on the Rani Kottai hills at a vantage point opposite the collectorate on Monday. The banner in association with the Youth Red Cross unit of VIT university carries a message to highway-users to desist from over-speeding and using mobile phones while driving. The MP also released gas-filled balloons tied up with fliers also with the same messages.
Benedict said that while 108 ambulances picked up road accident victims to take them to the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital at Adukkamparai or CMCH, invariably ambulance vehicles had to contend with heavy traffic in Vellore city. This at times results in not providing timely treatment to victims during the ‘golden hour’.
If the government establishes trauma care centres closer to highways it would be possible to save many lives, he pointed out. He had made an appeal to the MP to take steps to construct an underpass at the RTO road junction at Sathuvachari where more accidents
happened on a daily basis. Due to lack of crossing facilities, many pedestrians try to cross the six-way highway that at times resulting in high speeding vehicles hitting them. “An underpass here would solve the problem,” he added.
Responding, Senguttuvan said he had already written to the union ministry to explore the possibility of establishing the underpass at Sathuvachari and added that he has received positive reply.