Cutting corners: Divider damage spark police action

Rajkot: Illegal breaks in highway medians across Rajkot district have triggered police action as authorities link them to an alarming increase in fatal accidents.

Based on directions from the Rajkot district collector, an FIR was lodged by M I Jadeja, deputy executive engineer of the roads and buildings department, against unknown persons under Sections 324 (4) and 324 (5) of the BNS and the Public Property Damage Act for creating gaps in the state highway, in the jurisdiction of Atkot police station.

Jadeja stated that the state highway stretch from Balghoi Dhar to Jangvadhar, maintained by the department, had five instances of median breaches which pose a risk of accidents and loss of life.

District collector Om Prakash said district road safety meetings had flagged the issue. “It was noticed that some industrial units create gaps in medians. An inspection by the RTO found five such gaps on the Rajkot-Bhavnagar highway, two on the Rajkot-Kalavad highway, 16 on Rajkot-Morbi highway, nine on National Highway 27, and 16 on the Rajkot-Jamnagar highway,” he said.

Authorities directed agencies to repair the breaches, but fresh damage was reported. “Even after repairs, some people have dared to break the medians again. The district road and safety committee has decided to file complaints against those responsible,” Prakash said.

He added that a 15-day window has been set: if damaged medians are not restored, legal action will follow. Petrol pumps and hotels are among those most frequently linked to such violations.

Rajkot SP Vijaysinh Gurjar said the district recorded 172 fatal accidents in 2025, most on national and state highways. “In safety committee meetings, it was noted that illegal median gaps contribute to accidents,” he said. Joint inspections by the national highways team, RTO, police and R&B department found several such breaches on highways.

Police said action would be taken against anyone found responsible for creating illegal median openings.