3 Accidents in 72 hours Drivers Rush for selfies : Atal Tunnel
The Show Time/source India Today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3 inaugurated the all-weather Atal tunnel, which reduces the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km and the travel time by four to five hours. Several instances of rash and negligent driving, and "indecent behaviour" by tourists have been noticed since opening of the tunnel. The Tunnel which now is a new hotspot in Himachal has already seen three accidents. The report added that the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and district authorities are facing new concerns with hundreds of tourists and motorists over-speeding and racing in the new tunnel. "Three accidents were reported in a single day after the tunnel was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on October 3. Showing a complete disregard for traffic rules, tourists and motorists have been clicking selfies while riding," Brigadier KP Purushothaman , BRO Chief Engineer, Atal Tunnel was quoting a saying by the report. No one is allowed to station their vehicle in the Atal tunnel, the BRO official added. On the issue, the BRO official said he has requested for police deployment to prevent accidents. "Once the inaugural function finished, there has been scant deployment of traffic police personnel, resulting in complete chaos and rash driving by tourists from Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh," Brigadier KP Purushothaman said.