Boy run over on highway , locals block road

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Dec. 16: Hundreds of local residents today blocked a state highway for more than two and half hours near Milky in English Bazaar police station after the death of a class X student Azam Ali alias Sazzad today.Sazzad was run over by a state bus at around 7.20 in the morning and he was admitted to local health centre. In the Malda district hospital where he later got admitted he succumbed to his injuries. The Malda SDO Ms Arunima De and police officials rushed to the spot. They listened to the demands of the demonstrators and following that the blockade was lifted. The local residents alleged that unauthorised construction of the PWD on the roadside was responsible for the accident as it was obstructing vision. They demanded removal of the unauthorised construction at the meeting point of the two roads connecting Manikchak and Khaskol village in English Bazaar. They also demanded compensation for the death of the student. Ms De assured that she would try to persuade the government to pay the compensation from the government's transport department. Ms De met the executive engineer of the PWD roads and instructed him to take action for the removal of the unauthorised encroachment from that point. The executive engineer of the PWD roads has directed his assistant engineer to issue a notice to evict the unauthorised encroachment. There are many encroachments on the state highways across the district which are obstructing vision, creating problems for the drivers as well as common people.