[Zappo]

On the same note, in Hyderabad also the cops have started cracking there whips. The honourable HC has giving them a stinging rebuke about the no. of deaths that have been happening at nights and particularly on weekends. Last week there were cops waiting outside major pubs here. In two nights (friday and saturday) they booked some 586 or so people for drunken driving (alcohol in blood above permissible limits)! The statistics they issued said 86% of those booked were youngsters in the age-group of 20-26...

[speedzak]

Heartfelt condolences to all effected.

We should pray harder for better road conditions in our country I think. Drunken drivers are the worst in this.

[zenx]

Well yeah, in this particular case it does seem like the driver was sozzled, and deserves huge punishment plus a lifetime ban on driving/riding. No excuse for getting drunk/being under medication/being extremely disoriented cause of exhaustion/anger etc, and putting others at risk.

The passengers are still not guilty - and cannot be held responsible legally for being drunk. Thats what the 'designated driver' is for. I do not consume alcohol myself, but avoid driving under heavy medication too.

Generally though, we still need more buffer for errors - in the road design, in the distances people keep on the road, in our inertia to brake or change gears, etc.

[tsk1979]

I am wondering just one thing at the posts blaming those sleeping on pavement.
If they were not sleeping, but walking on the pavement, would the car not have killed them???
Pavements are for pedestrians. On an empty road if a car goes on a pavement, and then alcohol is recovered from the car there is a good reason to believe that the car was driven rashly.

The driver will get 6months-2 years jail time + 50,000 compensation to each of those killed and 25000 to those injured. The jail time will be there if he is found guilty, but the fine will be there irrespective of the verdict.

[Boom Shiva]

Some hope at last...

http://www.mid-day.com/news/city/200...ber/146604.htm

Hopefully this will not just be the usual eyewash.

Btw, it doesn't look like they're the usual spoilt rich kids though. The car is a much older model imported Toyota, the kind that's usually bought second hand for real cheap. So possibly they belong to the spoilt middle class instead. Too bad all you rich kid bashers.

[esteem_lover]

Rich or middle-class...the difference is getting narrower anyway...kids, especially in the teens really should not be permitted to drink & drive even if they have had just a small drink. it takes a lot to control the adrenaline & if the mind is even slightly cloudy, things can happen so fast. the poor have had to pay for someone's carelessness. there is actually no point in discussing why they were sleeping there at all. how could anyone point a finger at them ? aren't the cars supposed to be on the roads ?

[Boom Shiva]

The driver was not a teen or a kid, he is 21 years old. An adult just like us.

Cars are supposed to be on the roads, but people are also not supposed to sleep on the pavement. I'm glad the system has finally at least acknowleged the fact and is attempting to evict pavement dwellers.

Agreed they have nowhere else to go. Tomorrow they will start sleeping on the roads itself. But what to do, they have nowhere else to go.

The unfortunate victims were construction labourers, hence perhaps they should hold the contractor responsible for their sleeping arrangements.

Drunk driving is unpardonable though, and I hope they throw the book at these guys.

[naveendhyani]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

If they were not sleeping, but walking on the pavement, would the car not have killed them???

i agree with u tsk, but we have to look at the broader perspective here. its about finding the culprit, whether rich or poor.

the rich mowed down the pavement dwellers, agreed. if proven guilty he should be fined & jailed for good time to make it a benchmark case.

now about the dwellers, though i dont have figures but i m sure they cause more accidents than being hit by the vehicles. a kid running in the middle of the road, a lady taking a stroll on the busy road & many more incidents are a common feature for the people behind the wheels. who sometimes avoid them & sometimes not.

please excuse me for being harsh but getting hit proved more beneficial for these guys who extort exhorbitant amounts of money to retract their statements.

the people who died in the BMW case in delhi (nanda's case) supposedly got more than 10 lacs each which in their wildest dreams they cudn't have imagined if they worked thruout their lives.

we should take steps to make this an equal society, for the rich & poor. if somebody makes a mistake they should be punished, simple.

cause till now its the old bollywood story of Rich bad guy V/s Good poor guy. this is the only time i feel pity for the wealthy people.

[normally_crazy]

If proven drunk - the kids are guilty and should be dealt with severly. But the most surprising part

The people killed were labourers brought in from other states for work. They have built makeshift huts beyond the pavement.

Q 1 ) Why were they sleeping on the pavement when they had the huts to sleep ? They have been working for the last one year on that very stretch and must have no doubt seen many cars zoom by late at night , so why risk sleeping on the pavement ??

Q 2) Saw the news and the BMC took the responsibilty of all medical expenses of the injured - why ? Are these people residents of Mumbai ? Do they pay taxes here ? I guess not then how come BMC is in the picture taking care of their medical bills ?

Q 3) Where is the Contrator who got them here in the first place ? Why is there no mention of him anywhere in the news / tv channels ? Isnt he the person responsible to a certain extent ?

It might seem a little harsh what I have typed but I would love to get a valid and sensible answer for the questions.

[w 12]

Originally Posted by naveendhyani

please excuse me for being harsh but getting hit proved more beneficial for these guys who extort exhorbitant amounts of money to retract their statements.

the people who died in the BMW case in delhi (nanda's case) supposedly got more than 10 lacs each which in their wildest dreams they cudn't have imagined if they worked thruout their lives.

cause till now its the old bollywood story of Rich bad guy V/s Good poor guy. this is the only time i feel pity for the wealthy people.

Sorry to Disagree....IMO there are somethings in this world which money can't Buy.

If it was a so called rich pedestrain who was killed , will his family take a higher amount and keep quiet? What if someone else says he will pay you the money in advance to experience a high speed crash firsthand?

Rich, poor , middle class are all subjective..Your Rich may be My poor and vice versa......That is no arguement nor is bollywood formulae..

The issue IMO is responsibility and respect to fellow road users..and following the law of the land

[sreenivass]

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

If proven drunk - the kids are guilty and should be dealt with severly. But the most surprising part

The people killed were labourers brought in from other states for work. They have built makeshift huts beyond the pavement.

Q 1 ) Why were they sleeping on the pavement when they had the huts to sleep ? They have been working for the last one year on that very stretch and must have no doubt seen many cars zoom by late at night , so why risk sleeping on the pavement ??
Q 2) Saw the news and the BMC took the responsibilty of all medical expenses of the injured - why ? Are these people residents of Mumbai ? Do they pay taxes here ? I guess not then how come BMC is in the picture taking care of their medical bills

Q 3) Where is the Contrator who got them here in the first place ? Why is there no mention of him anywhere in the news / tv channels ? Isnt he the person responsible to a certain extent ?

It might seem a little harsh what I have typed but I would love to get a valid and sensible answer for the questions.

The huts generally are for changing, cooking, etc.. These people generally sleep outside for fresh air and space inside huts.

For question 2 and 3 I'll say this. Let BMC pay Meds to treat these guys and send the bill to contractor and/ or guys causing accidents.

Well the questions do sound harsh in Indian context since we are not used to accountability, etc.. Our politicians have pampered some classes with goodies all the time.

Consider the case of that auto rickshaw rammed in to by a speeding train. It sounds so funny to me. Ten people crammed in to one auto, no mistake of theirs, nor the auto driver. Now compensation comes out of tax payers money.

I'd actually suggest docking the money from traffic departments salaries, they are the ones supposed to take care of this.

[naveendhyani]

Originally Posted by w 12

If it was a so called rich pedestrain who was killed , will his family take a higher amount and keep quiet? What if someone else says he will pay you the money in advance to experience a high speed crash firsthand?

Rich, poor , middle class are all subjective..Your Rich may be My poor and vice versa......That is no arguement nor is bollywood formulae..

apologies if i sounded rude brother but our govt actually works on the "rich or poor criteria. they are simply not bothered about the Middle income & above categories.

we do not cater to their aspirations of politicians coming to power so why serve us. even though we pay 95% of the taxes this country runs on, who cares.

if someone crashes into me, even for the other's mistake (god forbid) only my meidcal policy comes into play (for which i paid over & above my taxes) but if a rickshaw walla gets hit, even if he jumps the red light & lands in the path of any of us, trust me along with us getting screwed, he's gonna land with free medical benefits, compensation, sympathies etc. etc.

thats my whole point. actually we (15% taxpayers of 1 billion country) are the labourers generating money (income tax, wealth tax, road tax, education cess, VAT & paying 100% extortion money on petrol ) for the rest of the 85% enjoying that.

[w 12]

Originally Posted by naveendhyani

thats my whole point. actually we (15% taxpayers of 1 billion country) are the labourers generating money (income tax, wealth tax, road tax, education cess, VAT & paying 100% extortion money on petrol ) for the rest of the 85% enjoying that.

Agree with you..I think the figure is less than 5% of population for Income Tax Payers....But others do pay indirect taxes like sales tax, VAT , ED etc..

Still It is better to be safe than sorry later IMO.. my 2 cents ..No offence intended to anyone.

Peace.

[kvish]

Off-topic:
There is a video on CNN-IBN "The other side of Mumbai nightlife' I suggest everyone watch it.... it is really sad to put poor people in that situation. First of all I wonder if these people are better off in villages than in Mumbai, Forget pavements, they are even extending themselves to the roads, that too on blind turns... this is unacceptable, and govt has to do provide some sort of shelter to these people.

Although there is no excuse for drunken driving, (our youth need some lessons in partying...till then 11:30pm deadline like Bangalore seems to be the only option) the way people are sleeping, Anyone in emergencies can knock over these people...even Ambulances...

[Wheeliej]

Originally Posted by Boom Shiva

The unfortunate victims were construction labourers, hence perhaps they should hold the contractor responsible for their sleeping arrangements.
.

Everybody has contributed towards this - the rich drunk kids, the condition of the road, the contractor, the policemen on duty in that area who collect hafta from the people (perhaps the contractor has paid off the police here?) to permit them to sleep on the pavements AND the people sleeping on the roads.

I have said this earlier too; people have no business sleeping on pavements (or road dividers/medians, as is being reported) and the risk of being run over while sleeping is extremely high. That is the reason most of us spend our lives saving money to build a roof over our heads.

The sad part is that it is the BMC which is ultimately responsible for the tragedy. The construction work is being carried out for the BMC and they need to ensure that the contractors dont get cheap labour from other parts of the country to crowd an already crowded city.

The Government (a major procurer of products and services) cracks the whip on private companies which do not treat their contract labour right (ref. Contract Labour Abolition Act), including insisting that contract labour be absorbed by the companies, provision of PF and ESI benefits to contract labour, etc., but does NOTHING to enforce those rules on their own contractors (can you visualise the hands under the table here?) whose sole cost, it appears, is load trucks with villagers and bring them into the city (or recruit them at the railway stations when they arrive) and provide a wage that does not even permit the families to have 2 square meals a day.

The sadder part is that neither the BMC nor the contractor bothered to turn up at the spot to help out the victims or the survivors (?). In our country, the sad fact is that not only living, but 'Life is (also) cheap'.