Samir Umarye
BICHOLIM: The road to Belgavi through Chorla Ghat from Goa, on Sunday, was blocked for several hours due to a silly accident.
A source said that a truck broke down and was being repaired when another truck came and banged it blocking the route completely.
There was great commotion in the area and soon a serpentine queue of cars was formed on both sides of the road. Some of the commuters also tried to overtake other cars that even led to arguments between them. The matter became worse as there was no police personnel at the site.
Commuters plying from Goa to Belgavi through the Chorla ghat are experiencing hardships for the past few days and at times have to spend hours together due to traffic blockade. Sunday was one of the worst days, since commuters tried to overtake each other, creating more traffic chaos.
It may be stated that Chorla ghat is the preferred route to go to Belgavi not only because of the road conditions but also due to the distance from Goa. Most of the people living in north Goa take the Chorla ghat route because the Anmod Ghat road is closed due to extension work. They prefer this route as the road has been repaired recently.
The locals from Keri Sattari said that it is a common scene in the area. “These days it is a common scene as all the traffic is diverted through this route. Big trollies, buses and almost all the vehicles going towards Belgavi are going through Chorla ghat and even if one big vehicle suffers a breakdown there are chances of such traffic jam,” said a person from Keri who did not want to disclose his name.
It is also learnt that the traffic from Anmod ghat is also diverted through this road which is posing even greater problems on Chorla ghat. “There is too much traffic in the area. Even this weekend there are continuous three days holiday which has prompted people to go for short vacation outside the state.” sources claimed.
It might be recalled that the Goa-Belgaum route was closed on November 19 last year for traffic due to the expansion of the Ramnagar to Anmod national highway.
