MANIKGANJ: A total of 244 people were killed in 497 separate road accidents on Dhaka-Aricha highway stretching across the district during the last five years.

Some 1024 sustained injuries in the accidents, which took place from January 2010 to July 2014.

List of deaths in the road mishaps includes some prominent personalities like film maker Tareque Masud, journalist Mishuk Monir, woman and children affairs (W&CA) ministry’s secretary Razia Begum and Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) chairman Siddikur Rahman.

Year-to-Year road crashes
In 2010, a total of 88 people including W&CA ministry’s secretary Razia Begum were killed and 320 injured in 143 road mishaps.
  
In 2011, some 175 road mishaps occurred, killing 96 people and injuring 421 others. Tareque Masud and Mishuk Monir died that year.

In 2012, tally of the causality lessened remarkably with 31 killed and 110 others injured in 81 road accidents.

In 2013, some 25 people were killed and 132 others were injured in 68 road accidents throughout the year.

In the first half of 2014, a total of 30 road accident took place claiming 4 lives and injuring 41 others.

Causes of accidents
Risky turns mainly caused the accidents. Some 11 risky turns have been widened and speed breakers have been installed there bringing down the number of road accidents significantly.

District Roads and Highways Department executive engineer told banglanews, “The road   development works related to decreasing the mishaps have been done after being ordered Communications Ministry.”

The development works has been carried out for eight-long years with a cost of Tk 25 crore.

BDST: 1234 HRS, AUG 16, 2014