Infant dies as ambulance gets stuck in highway jam caused by contractual employees near Khanna

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 2

A month-old child died as the ambulance which was carrying him to a hospital got stuck in a jam on the Khanna-Delhi highway. The highway was jammed by the Contractual Employees Sangharsh Committee in protest against the Punjab Government failing to regularise the services of contractual employees.

The protest started at 11.30 am on Sunday morning and the road was not opened till the time of filing of this report.

Protesters had installed tents on the highway and they warned that they would not open the highway till the government give them in writing about the regularisation of services of contractual employees.

Soni, a resident of Mohanpur village, near Khanna, said his one-month-old son was not well and they had hired an ambulance to admit their child to some hospital in Khanna. “Our ambulance got stuck in the jam on the national highway for a few minutes. Later they went to three hospitals in Khanna where they could not meet any doctor and their child died,” added Soni.

Soni said when they could not find any doctor at hospitals, they decided to take him to the DMC Hospital in Ludhiana, but his son died before they could start towards Ludhiana.

Manjit Kaur, SDM, Khanna, said they would enquire about the incident.

Superintendent of Police (Crime) Amandeep Singh Brar said due to this highway jam, a diversion was already provided from the highway so that commuters heading towards Delhi or coming from Delhi should not get stuck in the jam.