No phone signal in Delhi tunnel, injured teen dies after delayed SOS call

The 1.3 km long Pragati Maidan tunnel was opened last year. (Archive)

New Delhi:

A teenager, injured in a bicycle accident in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan tunnel, has died after a delay in reaching hospital due to a connectivity problem inside the 1.3km-long tunnel.

The incident occurred on Monday night when 19-year-old Rajan Rai, who was returning from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, had an accident inside the tunnel, police said. Due to a connectivity problem within the tunnel, passers-by were unable to make a distress call to the police, resulting in a delay in the timely arrival of the emergency services.

Rajan Rai suffered serious head injuries after his helmet was completely damaged in the accident. The teenager was rushed to Lady Hardinge Medical College, where he died during treatment, police said.

The victim’s family has now decided to take legal action as an emergency call could not go through inside the tunnel due to poor connectivity, the sources said.

The tunnel is said to be equipped with facilities for smooth traffic movement and has intelligent fire management system, digitally controlled CCTV, etc.

The 1.3 km long Pragati Maidan Tunnel was opened last year and is part of the Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project, which includes the main tunnel and five underpasses.