Team Herald
PERNEM: Pernem residents have raised concerns over the slow pace of work along the six-lane highway from Porascadem to Patradevi as the route has turned into a death trap for them.
Locals complained that the work of the six-lane highway is going on at snail’s pace as the piled up mud has covered almost half of the road thereby obstructing the free movement of the vehicles.
Since it is a national highway connecting Maharashtra and Goa, especially when there is movement of heavy vehicles including inter-state buses, two-wheeler riders face major problem while travelling along the route at night on account of poor visibility.
The recent death of a school teacher in the accident reported at the spot has created anxiety and fear among the commuters as heavy vehicles move at higher speeds along the bad road. With mud piled up along the road, people fear that if the hot mixing is not done before the monsoons, then there is possibility of more such fatal accidents taking place due to the slippery road conditions.
A daily commuter Sanjana Kanolkar said, “It is risky to travel along this route from Porascadem to Torsem as almost half of the road is covered with mud. The work is very slow and there is no service road for the two-wheelers. There is movement of heavy vehicles on this route throughout the day which makes it risky for riders to travel along this road”.
“Recently, a school teacher died in an accident at Porascadem. The accident took place due to the narrow road and with too many vehicles moving at that time. The work is going on very slowly. The concerned contractor has only dumped mud along the road, which has been at the spot since the last one month,” complained another commuter Deva Parab.
“The authorities are not concerned over the safety of common man. The slow pace of the six-lane highway work has put lives of the common man at risk. Now, the only option is for the people to come together and block the highway to ensure the work is completed or else more fatal accidents take place in future,” Neha Naik, a resident warned.
