Narrow escape for couple as falling boulder hits car

A Pune-based couple had a lucky escape on Sunday morning when a boulder fell just in front of their car at

Saptashringi Gadh

, about 66 km from

Nashik

city.

Vasant Ghatge

, who is a defence personnel, and his wife were returning to Pune after visiting the

Saptashrungi

temple. In the accident, the couple did not sustain any injuries, but their car has been damaged.

“We started our journey at 7.00am from the temple. As I was driving down the ghat, boulders started falling from the right side of the road.One of the boulders fell in front of my car. I somehow managed to bring my vehicle to a halt, but could not stop the impact,“ said Ghatge.

“It was very early in the day when the incident occurred. The best part is all the impact was taken up by the vehicle. The doors and windshield of the vehicle also got damaged,“ he said, adding that he received all help and support from local police and villagers.

The public works department (PWD) officials, police and locals rushed to the spot and stopped vehicles from both sides. “The road was cleared before allowing them to pass,“ a

PWD

official said.

The PWD has proposed construction activity worth Rs 10 crore to tackle the problem of boulders on the ghat. “The stretch of 8-km is very risky. Every year boulders fall on the road, but never have they hit any vehicle. We have proposed the work to make the road free of such dangers. The proposal is yet to be approved by the state government, although it was sent last year,“ the officer said.

The proposed work includes curtailing and widening of sharp corners, removing boulders and overhangs and putting up iron mesh wherever possible. “The shrine is a major pilgrimage centre. We therefore had proposed several developmental works for the road that would ensure safety of passengers coming here. We only hope that the government looks into the proposal at the earliest,“ the official said.

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