BHOPAL: A nearly eight-kilometre-long traffic jam, which lasted up to 32 hours due to ongoing six-lane bridge construction, unfinished service roads, and the absence of a proper traffic diversion plan, has reportedly led to the deaths of three individuals on the outskirts of Indore, Madhya Pradesh’s most developed city, on Thursday and Friday.
The victims included 65-year-old farmer Kamal Panchal, 55-year-old cancer patient Balram Patel, and 32-year-old security guard Sandeep Patel, all of whom succumbed to health complications while stuck in the prolonged traffic snarl.
Recounting the ordeal, Vijay Panchal, son of the deceased farmer Kamal Panchal from Bijalpur (Indore), said, “I was driving with my father, mother and wife to attend the Trayodashah ceremony (13th-day rituals) of my deceased aunt in Dewas district when we got trapped in the jam for over two hours. The stretch between Mangliya and Arjun Baroda on the Indore-Dewas Bypass normally takes 15–20 minutes to cover.”
“Amid the jam, my father suddenly began feeling suffocated and complained of chest pain. It took us nearly half an hour to get out of the jam with the help of locals, as there were no officials present to manage the situation. By the time we reached the hospital in Dewas, doctors declared him dead. Later, we learnt two more people had died in the same jam. How many lives will it take for the administration to wake up?”
Among the other victims was Balram Patel, a 55-year-old cancer patient from Shujalpur in Shajapur district, who was en route to Indore’s Choithram Hospital. He reportedly died in the traffic after both oxygen cylinders he was dependent on were exhausted due to the delay.
Sandeep Patel, a 32-year-old security guard, also died after experiencing chest pain while stuck in the same jam. His family rushed him to a hospital via Mangliya in Indore, but he was declared dead upon arrival.
The massive jam was triggered by bridge construction work, which forced vehicles onto broken, waterlogged, and unfinished service roads, worsened by rainfall. The absence of an adequate route diversion plan severely escalated the situation.
Over the 30–32 hour period from Thursday afternoon to Friday night, the condition of the roads deteriorated rapidly. Heavy vehicles, diverted onto narrow lanes meant for smaller traffic, caused further damage, with deep potholes forming due to the downpour. No alternate routes were readied through nearby villages, compounding the traffic crisis.
Following public outrage and media attention, Indore District Collector Ashish Singh held an emergency meeting on Friday with officials from the NHAI, traffic police, Public Works Department (PWD), and Indore Municipal Corporation. Key measures decided at the meeting included immediate repairs of damaged service lanes using paver blocks, formation of inter-departmental Quick Response Teams (QRTs) for traffic management, diversion of heavy vehicles outside Indore via alternate routes, and round-the-clock monitoring of traffic and drainage to avoid waterlogging.
Meanwhile, angered by the deaths, opposition Congress leaders including Dewas district president Manoj Rajani and state spokesperson A. Chaurasia, have demanded Rs 1 crore compensation for each bereaved family. They have also called for a case of culpable homicide to be registered against officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the contractor responsible for the bridge construction.