Nitin Jain
Ludhiana, August 31
Ludhiana has topped the country in maximum deaths due to cold in 2021, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.
As many as 39 persons had succumbed to cold exposure in Punjab’s most populated city last year, which were maximum deaths reported in mega cities across the country, the report on “Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India 2021”, has said.
The report, a copy of which is with The Tribune, showed that Amritsar stood second in the country with 21 deaths due to “exposure to cold”, followed by 15 deaths in Dhanbad, the second most populated city in Jharkhand.
A total of 533 deaths due to forces of nature were reported in 53 mega cities across the country in 2021, the report revealed.
Among specified causes of accidents due to forces of nature, maximum deaths were reported due to “exposure to cold” followed by cyclones, accounting for 20.1 per cent and 13.3 per cent of total such accidental deaths, respectively.
All 71 deaths due to cyclones in the country were reported from Mumbai, the report indicated.
In Ludhiana, as many as 1,243 accidental deaths were reported in 2021, of which 58 were caused due to “forces of nature”, accounting for 4.67 per cent, while 1,185 persons had died due to “other causes”, which accounted for 95.33 per cent of the total casualties.
While Ludhiana contributed 2.3 per cent share in the total accidental deaths, which was 13th highest among 53 mega cities across the country, the rate of accidental deaths in Ludhiana remained 77.2 per cent, which was more than double the national average of 33.3 per cent.
Ludhiana’s 58 deaths due to “forces of nature” in 2021 were 18.4 per cent higher than 49 such casualties reported in 2020 while 1,185 deaths due to “other causes” in 2021 were 21 per cent more than 979 such casualties reported in 2020.
Similarly, 1,243 accidental deaths reported in Ludhiana in 2021 were 20.9 per cent up from 1,028 such casualties logged in 2020.
While Ludhiana’s increase in deaths due to “forces of nature” was eighth highest in the country, the rise in deaths due to “other causes” was almost four times than the national average of 5.5 per cent. The upward trend in the total accidental deaths in Ludhiana was more than three times higher than the national average of 5.9 per cent.
What is a mega city?
Mega city refers to a city that has a population of 10 lakh or more. As per the Census 2011, the status of mega city has been accorded to 53 cities in the country.
Alarming figures (Exposure to cold)
CITY DEATHS
Ludhiana 39
Amritsar 21
Dhanbad 15
533 died due to forces of nature: NCRB report
As per the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, a total of 533 deaths due to the forces of nature were reported in 53 mega cities across the country in 2021
Among specified causes of accidents due to the forces of nature, maximum deaths were reported due to “exposure to cold” followed by cyclones