After around 3 hours I had 4 people to help me out, a battery, jumper cables and even a tow rope in case the car had to be towed
BHPian aaggoswami recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Battery dead: What happened next?
Its rare, but I had a breakdown on highway in my 2012 Innova diesel.
While returning from Diu on 19-04-2025, after a toll plaza near Dholera car refused to start. The toll plaza is called Bhadbhid toll plaza.
I stopped for a cup of tea (am an avid tea fan, so even in 40+ deg C. heat, I stopped for a cup of tea), and then the car simply wont start.
Good part was I was barely 100 mtrs from toll plaza and had a place to sit on the small chai tapri. As the car refused to start, I checked the battery connector, and found that the negative terminal was not as firmly fitted as positive terminal. So I tried tightening it up and with forced it a bit down. Result : The connector broke. So all chances of starting the car were gone.
As I was near the toll plaza, I called on the helpline number 1033. A couple of call later I was asked to share my location on link sent on text message, did it. Walked back to the chai tapri and was sitting there. After around 30 mins., a person walked across the highway from admin office of the toll plaza. He asked me if I had sent the breakdown request. Described my problem as I requested for jumper cable so that I can jump start my car using jumper cable and the helpline vehicle. The person who was assigned to my request told me they dont have diesel vehicle and only have a petrol vehicle, a blatant lie, but I said just bring your vehicle and I will give it a try. Then he told me they are not provided with any cables, but he has a thick aluminum wire. So again I requested to bring the same. He walked back across the highway and returned in Bolero pickup, a diesel vehicle. Driving the Bolero pick up was an old person, and I thought atleast he will be logical.
Driver of the Bolero pickup told me that they cannot help and they can just share the phone number of garages in Bhavnagar, a nearby small city. Then both the guy who was assigned to my breakdown request and pickup driver went on to have a cup of tea from same tapri and their rant started:
1. Govt doesn’t give them equipment
2. Govt. doesn’t provide them with cables
3. Govt. doesn’t provide them any support
Then pickup driver went on to say even if there is a puncture, they are not supposed to help in any manner. Amused, I asked him what is their job, they told me the only job they have is to push vehicle on side of the road if its broken in middle of the road. Thats about it. Shocked I was, I told them I will manage my own help. They said on humanitarian grounds, they help people fix punctures.
As my maternal native is 50 kms. from that place, I had already asked them for help. After around 3 hours I had 4 people to help me out, a battery, jumper cables and even a tow rope in case the car had to be towed. Got the car started and in garage, cable connector was replaced, battery was replaced and the car was good to go.
What is shocking : Zero help from 1033 helpline. Just 30 mins ago in middle of a deserted highway before Bhavnagar, I had stopped for a few photographs, am lucky that the car started there. Else no place to sit even in the scorching heat.
The second image is where the car broke down, note the toll plaza behind it and the admin office of the toll plaza across the highway.
First image is the place where I stopped to take a few photographs.
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