Deadly Accident
outside Centaurus Gate!
Just as Park
Towers and Forum is to Karachi , Centaurus Mega Mall is to Islamabad ! It is an iconic retail,
entertainment and lifestyle destination that stimulates visitors with its
vibrant mix of retail and entertainment segments. It attracts huge crowd daily.
The main car entrance on the Nazimuddin
Road is right after the end of the bridge.
The fast flowing traffic outside
the main gate has no checks and balances near the main entrance. Though the car
queues up in orderly manner, but they race by the entrance as if Ferrari is
holding its Annual Car Spree!
My attention would never have
drawn to the misplanned car entrance system, until I was the eye witness to one
of the most deadly accidents outside the Centaurus gate.
It was 530 pm, Tuesday, 30th
July 2013, I was crossing the main road outside the mega mall, and was nearly
10 feet away when a car coming from the right side of the entrance of the main
gate from the bridge, hit a man coming out of the gate. It was a black car with
3 young boys seated. They were driving blind folded and swept the man off his
feet – making him fall head along in an unconscious state, the moment this
accident happened, I was only stone throw distance away from the accident scene
and was half way down the road. I was dumb founded, shocked and speechless –
when I saw him all bleeding!
People rushed to the scene and
security guards screamed for the ambulance. At least the black car boys might
be eye blinded to run over a man but when the door opened, a young, concerned
looking boy, probably in his early twenties, came out, with the help of people
– rushed the injured man to the hospital. The man was dripping in blood and was
in an unconscious state when he was taken away in the car. He was one of the
cleaning staff member of the mall and his 2 other colleagues had already
crossed the road.
As soon as the car left with the
injured, the security guards shared with me that many accidents have occurred
till now, since its launch in March 2013.
After an hour or so, the news was
that he was out of danger and had few stitches on the head. I have a question –
if God forbid something had happened to the man, who would have compensated his
family? Who would have wiped his mother’s tears?
It was the day when the President
of Pakistan got elected – only 2 hours before this accident, will he please
kindly look into this matter to take adequate pedestrians security measures and
to change the entrance systems of the cars. After all that road leads to the
Parliament House and for once the newly elected parliamentarians – think
“Square one for the Common Man issues” – they do not have bus to go back home
and cannot afford to pay for the taxi, and when they cross the road they risk
their lives!
By:
KANWAL ABIDI
- Islamabad
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