Panchmahals district, particularly the Godhra-Dahod Highway, has registered an unprecedented increase in fatal accidents. As many as 24 deaths took place in last week, including three on Tuesday.

According to the police, the fast moving traffic as well as good roads in the area is the reason behind the increasing mishaps. Interestingly, all these accidents have taken place during the Traffic Awareness Week in Godhra and other towns of the district.

Chaos prevailed over the Odbada village on the Godhra-Dahod Highway last Wednesday, when 40-year-old Jaswant Baria, a resident of Dahod town, died and 15 others were injured in an accident.

The Godhra taluka police said that all the injured were taken to the Godhra Civil Hospital.

Police officers investigating the case said that a truck had initially collided with a GSRTC bus in which Baria had been travelling.

The truck, coming from Godhra, abruptly stopped midway. As a result, the vehicles behind it smashed onto each other, injuring 15 people.

Dahod Superintendent of Police Vipul Aggarwal said the accidents have been happening because of the fast moving traffic on the highways.

“The highways are fast and it is practically impossible to deploy traffic police personnel round the clock in these areas. However, we are organising a traffic week in Godhra town and several other areas of the district to make people aware of the highway traffic rules,” he said.

Meanwhile, overcrowded jeeps plying between several small towns and villages have been banned from the highway as a preventive measure after a recent accident on the Godhra-Shehra Highway, in which 13 people travelling in one of these jeeps died on the spot.

"The police have been checking the overcrowded jeeps and stopping them from plying on the busy highway after the recent mishap," Aggarwal said.