The coffee/tea will be offered at each toll falling on 185-kilometer-long expressway which starts from Greater Noida and ends in Agra.
With more and more accidents reported on Yamuna Expressway, to drivers falling asleep at the wheel, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), on Wednesday, directed the toll operator Jaypee Group to offer free coffee or tea to drivers travelling on the expressway.
A meeting was chaired by the Yamuna Authority on Wednesday, to help ensure safety of commuters on the Yamuna Expressway. Attended by the members of the Jaypee Group, UP police, transport department officials and RITES, various solutions were put forward to ensure the safety of commuters.
In the meeting, RITES representatives informed officials that drivers napping at the wheel— between 1 am to 5 am — was a major cause of the total number of accidents. Considering this fact, Yamuna Authority officials directed the Jaypee Group to offer free tea/coffee to all drivers travelling on the Yamuna Expressway.
The coffee/tea will be offered at each toll falling on 185-kilometer-long expressway which starts from Greater Noida and ends in Agra.
UP police were also asked to challan errant drivers, who are not adhering to traffic rules. The officials asked the toll operator to remove all stationary vehicles from the expressway. Stationary vehicles were also cited as another major cause of accidents, especially during fog.
The officials also directed to improve infrastructure on the expressway. Some villagers have broken the wires on the expressway to get access. The officials asked the operator to ensure safety of commuters by ending illegal access on the expressway.
Meanwhile, the Yamuna Authority has given an ultimatum to the Jaypee group to improve facilities or face action. Recently, YEIDA CEO, Arunveer Singh had inspected the expressway and found many faults.
The CEO asked the Jaypee Group to improve management of the expressway, otherwise the authority would write to the state government to withdraw the right of toll collection by the group.
"If all necessary arrangements are not made then we will write to the government to suspend the right of Jaypee Group to charge toll on the Yamuna Expressway," the authority officials said.
Officials added that the Yamuna expressway operator was yet to implement a number of necessary safety features which were supposed to be put in place last month.
"We found that the concessionaire was not spending the 20% toll fee collected towards maintenance of the e-way. We also found that speeding vehicles driving over 120 km/hour were not being fined by the operator. The speed limit is 100 km/hr," the official said.
Reacting to the development, Jaypee group spokesperson said, "Commuter safety is a top concern of the Jaypee group. We are looking into the arrangements and have started working on the directions given by the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority."
Past incidents
December 18 - A 35-year old man identified as Pappu Jatav (35), a resident of Gharbara village in Greater Noida died after he was hit by a speeding car on the Agra-Greater Noida carriageway. Following the incident, locals protested and blocked traffic movement on the Expressway.
December 12 - Four persons, including the DGM of Cement Corporation of India (CCI), were killed after a Maruti Alto in which they were travelling collided with a truck trolley stationed on the Agra-Delhi carriageway of the Yamuna Expressway.
December 5 - A civil engineer was burnt to death alive after the car in which he was travelling rammed into a CNG fitted a bus on Yamuna Expressway. In the incident, the deceased's brother and bus passengers had a miraculous escape.
December 4 - One person died while seven persons were injured in two separate road accidents in Greater Noida. In the first incident, a 56-year old Delhi based businessman identified as Mohan Lal, a resident of Sultanpuri died while four others including a woman and a two-year-old child sustained injuries after a speeding car rammed a slow moving tractor at the Yamuna Expressway.
November 14 - Four persons died while three others including an army personnel sustained severe injuries.
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