Mysore: Unusual Accident Takes Away Prarthana Shenoy’s Life

Daijiworld Media Network – Mysore (SP)

Mysore, May 12:  Prarthana Shenoy (38), wife of Gopalakrishna Shenoy from Mangalore, lost her life in a fateful accident that occurred on national highway 212 at Gundlupet in the district. She was on her way to Ooty along with other family members and relatives, when the accident occurred.

The families of Gopalakrishna Shenoy and his brother, Ganeshprasad Senoy, were on a visit to Ooty.  At the time their Innova car was moving in front of V A M Hospital in Gundlupet, a huge banyan tree standing by the side of the highway was being cut down. The owner of a timber depot had obtained the right to uproot the tree in an auction conducted by the forest department. Reportedly, those who were felling the tree, and the policemen standing guard at the site, signalled Ganeshprasad Shenoy, who was driving the car, to stop the vehicle. As the vehicle was moving fast, and also as the driver was concentrating on the road ahead, signals made by those standing away from the road perhaps were not noticed. When the car reached near the tree, the tree suddenly fell across it. Noticing it at the last minute, the driver swerved the car to the right, but could not avoid the tree from scraping through the backside of the car.

Prarthana, who was sitting on the rear seat, suffered critical injury to her head in the accident. She was immediately rushed to a private hospital in the city, but she could not be saved.

A case was registered in Gundlupet police station in this connection. The policemen have launched a hunt for the owner of the timber depot for not taking proper precautions while cutting down the tree as per rules. After the accident, traffic on the road went haywire for some time, before the police restored normalcy.

The people in the town have squarely put the blame on those who cut down the tree for criminal negligence in causing this accident. There is a need to be extra cautious while felling trees standing by the sides of the highways, as vehicles zoom through at great speed, and hence, the tree cutters need to take every precaution to ensure that no lives are lost.