Stories

Load on Road

It was 3'O clock in the afternoon, I was busy with the routine work at my office while taking a sip of tea alongwith, when suddenly phone rang up'. thinking that it would be some official call ' I responded in that manner, but after listening to the voice on the other end, which shook me and pulled the ground from under my feet as that trembling voice was of my wife who was screaming " Our son Nanu has been struck by a speeding truck on the road and he had been taken to casualty in the Hospital' where he is serious and is struggling for life". 

Immediately after that, keeping my files and pen open I left hurriedly for the hospital by my car. But alas! There was a terrific traffic jam and I became the part of the vehicular queue, which seems endless. I was fluttering in the car as does the bird in the cage. Then I tried to overtake the other vehicles'but the honest and disciplined cop stopped me, warned me and asked me to be in the queue. Again I became part of the traffic, which was moving on the snail's pace. My worries were getting multiplied and I was getting anxious. I started palpitating and wished I could fly to the hospital, which was hardly three Kilometers away. But again I thought of the flyers that got died during their flight when it struck the twin towers in the US. So the air traffic too was not safe now a days and the persons, who used to fly very frequently are subsiding because of fears. Even the Government officials now preferring rail to that of air 'Oh then I saw the car ahead of me has bit moved and I also moved a bit, but again stuck of'I could see the pollution growing around because of increasing density of wheeled commuters. 

It was not only the air pollution but the noise pollution too which the vehicles were emanating. The Government in compliance to the H'ble Supreme court orders have started shifted the polluting industries and made the cabs to run on CNG, but could not provide the fuel required'then the State and the Central Govt. started making allegations against each other'but who got affected, a common man like us. But have we been able to control the growing pollution and the density of the vehicles on the road' Then I heard the horn of the car behind me'and saw in front of me the road was empty. May be I was in thoughts when the traffic moved'I saw the time it was 3:30 by the time 'half an hour passed since I left and heard about my son but still not covered the half way' I was getting frustrated and thinking to leave my vehicle in between and run away to the hospital'so that I can reach there as early as possible'but where shall I leave my vehicle'but also if it is needed there in the hospital to bring some medicines, eatables or if he has to taken to some super specialty. I was in a fix, what to do now coz it is getting late and late. Already more than half an hour was elapsed. 

But some how I was able to reach the casualty at last but after an hour since I started. But ohhhhhhh I was too late as I saw my wife screaming and weeping in front of the body of my son. I was stunned and shocked coz I have lost the earnings of my life'he was our only offspring. Ok it is the destiny, we have to bear with it'life is perishable'but I was cursing myself that why couldn't I reached there early so that he could have been taken to some super specialty and may be he could have been saved.

Then suddenly I heard the voice of my wife in her usual style that "Aapko aaj bhee office jana hai ke naheen" (are you going to office today or not!) ...that high pitch voice has broken reverie and I woke up sweating. I thanked God that it was the dream only and saw my son playing with his new car'.but I was thinking that in reality also it could happen.

But how can I forget that dreadful dream and the insomniac nights thereafter'is there any solution to the traffic problem in the city and the country because the vehicular population is increasing day by day and we have got the same infrastructure available. Have we got money to increase our infrastructure to accommodate the extra load on our roads or we have to live on the more and more congested roads 'may be we wont get space on the roads after some years and we may have to book our time on the roads to drive and ride on the roads'But one thing is sure that, now it is the high time and we have to think this problem seriously and find the solution so that our future generation should not face the problems.

14-Oct-2001

More by :  Ritesh Jhamb


Top | Stories

Views: 3485      Comments: 0





Name *

Email ID

Comment *
 
 Characters
Verification Code*

Can't read? Reload

Please fill the above code for verification.