NHAI closes eyes to accident zone

Injuries and deaths continue on NH, but no safety measures taken

Most road accidents are believed to occur at night or twilight, due to carelessness of the drivers or their attempts to overtake. Whenever an accident occurs, for a few days, boards are put up to caution the public or police staff are posted at the spots.

If accidents take place frequently at a spot, a board warning people that it is an accident zone is put up in the place.

No warning

But, despite frequent accidents, no such boards are to be found in the accident zone on the National Highway. There are no speedbreakers to make drivers slow down their vehicles. In addition, although there is a circle that is a junction for six major roads, no policemen are posted to control traffic.

In cases of accidents, police have to travel about eight km to reach the place. They need at least 15 minutes to reach, coping with traffic and other obstructions on the way.
Medical help in the form of the Arogya Kavacha 108 Ambulance service in case of serious injury too is eight km away.

Frequent accidents

An average of three accidents a week occur on the stretch. There have been several instances of victims dying due to lack of immediate treatment.

Recently, Ramalinga Reddy, a coolie worker from Kadri, Andhra Pradesh, was seriously injured when a car hit his bike when he was travelling on the National Highway.

Reddy bled to death by the time he was taken to the District Hospital by a car. Local residents feel that he could have been saved if an ambulance could reach the place in time.

People react

Local residents staged a protest at the spot of another such accident at noon on Monday. The victim, who was riding his bike, was provided first aid at the District Hospital but taken to Nimhans in Bangalore, as his condition was critical.

The protesters blocked traffic on the highway for about an hour. They alleged that the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has failed in its duties by not constructing an underpass in the area or providing any safety measure. If action was not taken soon, an agitation would be launched, the protesters warned.

Additional Deputy Commissioner G S Naik, District Superintendent of Police Dr T D Pawar, Tahsildar Poornima, Circle Inspector S Shivakumar, Traffic Sub-inspector Nyaz Begum visited the accident spot to inpect the area and listened to the grievances of the protesters.