PONDA: A container truck overturned by the side of the road at sharp Bythokhol Borim turn on Borim- Bethora Bypass road to Margao – Belgaum Highway at 1.30 am. This is the second incident at quick succession after a KTC bus had same fate there on Monday.
According to the driver, who escaped fatality with minor injuries, was carrying tyres from Usgao Tyre Factory and heading towards Hyderbad saw cattle sitting on sharp turn and in his attempt to save them the truck overturned
Locals said that cattle are one of the primary reasons for accidents in that turn and demanded cattle sheds for stray cattle as they occupy the roads during night time.
According to a local Naresh Naik at Ponda there are several sharp turns in Priol Constituency on Querim -Savoiverem road, where several fatal accidents take place. Similarly, Dhavlim-Farmagudi bypass, and Bethora- Borim Highway has become accident prone zones and have claimed many lives in past few years on the sharp turns but despite demands from locals no action from government to straighten the roads at sharp turns. Locals demand to know how many accidents and deaths government is waiting for before it improve the road condition. Sharp turns exist almost all over Ponda Taluka.
Locals blame politicians for the sharp turns as they failed to look into matter and solve it. They accuse government of creating the sharp turns to save properties of their supporters on the Dhavlim Farmagudi bypass and Borim Bethora bypass, which were constructed on National Highway fifteen years ago.
On a separate incident Ponda Police register offence against bike riders for rash driving on Monday Kavlem that killed a stray cow. Bike rider Abhishek Ulhas Gaude R/o ( 21) Adulshem Borim and pillion rider Sahil Umesh Shet Talaulikar (20)r/o Talaulim were proceeding from Talavalim towards Ponda and at Kavlem their bike hits a stray cow on road following which they lost control and fell on road and were seriously injured and undergoing treatment in GMC. The cow had died while the rider received fractures and pillion rider sustained head injuries and still unconscious at GMC.
