Vultures on the National Highway

Road accidents cause trauma to the people involved , whether you are at fault or otherwise during those moments people suffer from chestpain,faint,or at the least there is some uneasiness however small the accident could be, damage of the vehicle and injury of the passengers,drivers,or pedestrians are not accounted presently.Even during these times there are cannibals,vultures out there who are out there to make their kill.

When the highway patrol is involved in it,supposedly out there to rescue people,or to maintain law and order.It is a deep rooted corruption which cannot be uprooted easily.Justice fails miserably as the unholy nexus of highway patrol,local police and crane service wins.

After an accident highway patrol appears at the spot to give orders to move the vehicle of the road,which has to be done quick and they themselves call the crane service for you reminding you to pay for the crane service.what would a driver of a damaged vehicle say when he is in trauma of the accident which includes the damage of the vehicle,sustaining injury and the accountability to the company he works for or the owner of the vehicle.Nobody ever thinks about what the charge could be or be bothered to ask anything related to it, so the crane service arrives and does their duty and hangs on to collect the loot,when it is charged twice the actual its a loot irrespective of how much the operator has been charging the previous damaged vehicles in other words his own standard payment.Highway patrol enquires if the crane service has been paid,Why is the Highway patrol so concerned about the dues with crane service.Unable to pay the crane service takes you to police station en route they talk about that they have to bribe the highway patrol and local police and assure you that local police would not proceed with the fir or gd entry unless this is settled.At the police station that is the first question, why don't you pay the crane service ? its more like a threat from the police.Maybe they meant 'No credits' or they want their share immediately.Nothing about the vehicle or accident is discussed, after all they are handling several accidents cases.

The amount demanded by the crane service was Rs 3,500/- at the spot and it was shocking to hear this thus offered to pay following day as it was a rush to the spot, when the crane service escorts you to police station and he whines about the time he is loosing and about the pending work to be completed, all this was done
because the police insisted and at the police station policeman at the frontdesk asks about the settlement as though a offence happened and its to be settled on offering to pay later he notes the contact details and repeats multiple times about settling the dues.After a while there is a call from highway patrol who has already pocketed Rs 150/- first Rs 50/- at the spot and Rs 100/- after the vehicle was dragged to a vacant space which was less than 100 mts, the call was a reminder to pay and there was an aroma of everything going wrong if questioned.

Following day with workshop people and a well known crane operator was inquired about approximate charges for shifting a mini tipper which has met across with an accident and described them about the distance to be dragged and that it was not upturned or fallen. It was on the highway and it was to be dragged to a vacant space besides the highway for about 100 mts and they quoted Rs 2000/- max inclusive of police, highway patrol etc and that it would be nominally Rs 1500/- thus after reaching the spot on the highway and then later bringing the mechanic to get the vehicle to a moving condition as its arm of the tipper truck was damaged meanwhile visited the police station to confronted with the old question about payment for crane service while the opposite party owners of the bolero which was used to transit toddy were present and they wanted to resolve the issue without a case as there was no human casuality or injury and in a few hours they walked away with the G.D report while we approached to crane operator and offered him Rs 1500/- which was the nominal price and vehicle was only dragged.Response was that he could have offered to me free if there was any record of him offering the service for less than Rs3000/- and he has even charged the Brother-in-law of Police S.I, when he was told that Rs 1500/- was enquired with other operators and also the limit for insurance and the workshop mechanic who is accustomed to this was also there and he later told that he was playing up because of police support and during the conversation the crane owner reminded me that the case would be proceeded in the police station only after this was settled, this is how deep rooted the corruption is and thus it was payment was taken back and informed the Police S.I who asked me to file a complaint during which he pretend as though he is new to this and then calls the crane operator and driver appears and starts by saying that it was preinformed and that it was overload,when i corrected that it was with load but it was not overtuned and that it was only a mini tipper which was dragged and other crane service charged only,now a few dramatic things happens when and police S.I call the operator whom i mentioned and when he says he charges minimum Rs 2500/- and it depends on the distance whereas in the morning his aide has offered it at Rs 1500/- all inclusive i.e inclusive of bribes and then S.I offers to provide solution with that and he says that there are no prescribed charges for it and ....
and asks me to call them when i called the other crane operator he starts on a different tone and from what i understand he was called earlier and a new drama was unfolding like how a witness turns hostile in court.Call ends abruptly with the called crane offering me to forfeit payment and hanging up which anyone in this situation would understand that he not insane but he is playing up,but for whom is it the crane operator who asked for this unjust sum or is it for highway patrol or is it the local police ? .

Declined to pay that and requested for a fair amount.After keeping us waiting for a long time he offers me to pay the price which the other crane operator demanded and that was accepted and paid, when requested for the receipt the driver demanded to visit the company,i refused and demanded for it at the police station as it was a resolution by the police after a complaint,then S.I tells him to bring the receipt to the police station and then it was brought and handed over then the proceedings for the G.G entry for insurance claim began and it was handed over in about half an hour.Thus all this time was wasted because of the settlement with the crane operator.
Just as crane operator and its owner declared, all proceeding happened only after the settlement was done to them.

Those who read this would who have difficulty to understand , the fair price of that serive was only Rs 1500/- as it was gathered from other crane operator which was inclusive of the bribes to highway patrol and local police station,and workshop mechanics who are closely knitted with this says so.Why did highway patrol and local police safeguard these ?

It is a deep rooted corruption which is handled by the nexus of highway patrol,local police and crane operator.It is hard to determine who controls whom.Obviously the police,bribes are usually paid and they are a norm, but such huge bribes are to be curtailed what can be done about these.I have done what i could.


Perhaps as with Ambulance, such services should be there and regulated and they should be free from vultures.