Oil tanker overturns, NH31 traffic hit

TT, 21 Nov 2018, Jalpaiguri: An oil tanker tilted on NH31 near Banarhat in Jalpaiguri district on Tuesday, spilling petrol on the road which brought traffic to a halt for nearly eight hours.

Local people were instructed not to cook food to avoid a bigger mishap till the tanker was straightened around 5pm.

Police said the tanker was on its way from Siliguri to Hashimara. It skidded and turned turtle on the highway when the driver lost control while trying to avoid a hit with a bicycle and a bike at LRP More near Banarhat around 10am.

Banarhat is about 110km from Siliguri.

Oil immediately started spilling over the highway and the locals scurried to steal petrol.

With the road turning slippery, the police decided to stop traffic to avoid further The tanker that overturned on NH31. Picture by Biplab Basak mishaps.

Bablu Alam, a local resident, said: "Everyone feared that a fire might start any moment as large quantity of petrol spilled on the road." The police also directed the nearby homes not to cook during the day. "We could not cook lunch today. The police directed us not to light fire," said Alam.

Vehicles were diverted to take a half-an-hour long detour from Gandrapara tea estate before touching the highway at Ethelbari.

Efforts were made to straighten the tanker through the day. Indian Oil Corporation officers finally reached the spot around 4pm. They did not provide any explanation for the delay in the arrival.

Around 5.30pm, the tanker could be straightened and the road was cleared for traffic.