PONDA: In the backdrop of several fatal road accidents, including the one at Banastarim in August and another at Dharbandora just a couple of days ago, the Traffic Cell at Ponda has identified four major blind spots along the national highway that cuts through these areas and which, it says, are behind most of the gruesome road deaths.
According to PondaTraffic Cell police inspector Krishna Sinari, these blind spots include the entire NH stretch in Dharbandora taluka upto Anmod Ghat, the Manaswada-Bhoma-Banastarim stretch, the road at Usgao and the Borim stretch. The Connem-Priol-Farmagudi road is also dangerous, he says.
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Sinari, who submitted his department’s survey report to the government administration, the PWD and the National Highways Authority of India, says the PondaTraffic Cell has offered a slew of recommendations to help decrease accidents and fatalities. These include road-widening, installation of an adequate number of signboards, speed breakers and rumbler strips, and removal of black spots along the highway that attract stray dogs and cattle.
“The Dharbandora highway needs levelling too, as one lane is lower than the other. At Usgao, huge trucks parked by the roadside pose a great risk to the lives of motorists as visibility is obstructed. Narrow roads at Bhoma and sharp bends along the Connem-Farmagudi road are also among the primary causes of accidents on these stretches,” Sinari says.
The accident at Banastarim that occurred in August claimed the lives of three people after a speeding luxury car rammed into their two-wheelers from behind. The one at Dharbandora two days ago saw a bus falling into a nullah, killing the driver on the spot and seriously injuring nine others.
The Ponda and Dharbandora highway stretches are where a majority of the accidents take place as vehicles, both light and heavy, often fail to adhere to the 50 kmph speed limit.
