Chronic traffic mismanagement near the Old Bus Stand in Ganjam’s Chatrapur led to a chaotic multi-vehicle crash on Wednesday.
The accident resulted in critical burn injuries to two brothers after an out-of-control car rammed into their roadside breakfast stall.
The victims have been identified as Kishore Chandra Senapati and Pinku Senapati, who run a local food stall in the area. Both brothers suffered severe burn injuries when boiling cooking oil overturned onto them during the impact.
According to eyewitnesses, the busy arterial road connecting the Sub-Registrar and Sub-Collector offices—which serves as the primary route to the Chatrapur Sub-Divisional Hospital and Post Office—experienced heavy congestion due to a surge in visitors at the Sub-Registrar’s office.
The chaotic chain of events began when a car driver attempting to navigate the packed four-way intersection lost control and struck a parked Bullet motorcycle. Panic-stricken by the initial hit, the driver then rammed into a nearby Ola cab and a two-wheeler scooter in rapid succession.
The vehicle finally lost all control and crashed directly into the Senapati brothers’ breakfast stall. The impact knocked over the large cooking pan containing boiling oil, burning both shopkeepers severely.
A driver waiting near the stall to buy breakfast also sustained minor injuries, while property and equipment at the stall were destroyed.
Bystanders and family members rushed the injured brothers to the nearby Chatrapur Sub-Divisional Hospital for emergency medical treatment.
Outraged residents blamed official apathy over traffic bottlenecks, reckless driving, and unregulated roadside encroachments for increasing hazards at the busy junction.
Residents have demanded immediate measures from local authorities to enforce strict traffic management and prevent similar tragedies in the future.
