Kalyan: Traffic-weary commuters on the Kalyan-Shilphata road faced fresh panic on Sunday night after a large direction board suddenly collapsed near the Palava flyover at Katai Chowk in Dombivli. The board fell in the middle of the busy road, narrowly missing a speeding two-wheeler rider. The edge of the hoarding struck the rear of his bike, and only by a fraction of a second was a major tragedy averted.The incident created fear among commuters and local residents. Soon after, MNS leader and former MLA Pramod (Raju) Patil rushed to the spot with supporters, while Manpada police and traffic officials began an immediate probe.Patil strongly criticized the advertising agency responsible for the hoarding and demanded criminal action against them. He also urged the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to conduct an urgent inspection of all such boards along the Kalyan-Shilphata stretch and remove those that pose a danger.Patil alleged that huge hoardings erected across the highway have become life-threatening for travellers. “Those who boast of development float in the air, but it is the common people who face daily risk and suffering because of such negligence,” he remarked sharply.The incident, meanwhile, created traffic jam for sometime.
