PERNEM: The Pernem locals on Tuesday said that this particular point has turned into an accident-prone zone where mishaps are a regular feature.
“The highway, which starts from Patradevi meets the dead end at this point at Torxem and from here the road meets the single lane. However, the absence of signboards, barricades and traffic police make it difficult for the drivers to understand it and end up applying sudden breaks to divert the vehicle which leads to accidents,” they said.
Former sarpanch Suryakant Toraskar said, “The local panchayat has submitted several memorandums to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) authorities but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Every day, at least two accidents take place at this particular point. There is neither a signboard, barricades, nor police posted at this dead end and the driver. There were two lives lost here on earlier occasions.”
“On the same day, early morning another accident occurred at the same spot but it was not a major one. Time and again, we have highlighted how unsafe the highway is and the measures the NHAI needs to take. It’s due to the failure of the highway authorities, which has led to this accident. Action needs to be taken against the concerned officials,” another villager said.
