PONDA: Kundaim and Ponda locals on Friday demanded that the State government should urgently find a solution to the rising accidents along the Ponda-Kundaim-Banastarim stretch of national highway.
They informed that the existing roads at many places are accident-prone. There are also sharp turns and steep slopes inviting fatalities. The accident prone zones are Connem-Farmagudi, Manaswada-Kundaim, and Bhoma, where several accidents have occurred taking the lives of many.
The locals also demanded improvement at Manaswada-Kundaim Junction with national highway widening and an underpass to prevent accidents.
According to Youth Congress President Adv Varad Mardolkar and a local from Priol, “Ponda to Banastarim stretch of national highway need road widening.”
He said, “Over the past many years Kundaim Bus Stop at Manaswada Junction on Ponda–Panjim national highway has become an accident prone zone. In recent years, the locals witnessed several fatal accidents including the one which happened on Thursday night when a truck and a car collided taking the life of the car driver. Earlier, several accidents occurred on the same spot. Buses halting to pick up the passengers are often hit from behind by the loaded vehicles and trucks causing injuries to the passengers.”
“The bus stop and junction is on descent slope at Manaswada-Kundaim. Here the road is one way for traffic. However, only passenger buses use this route for two way traffic. At Manaswada junction there is a need for road widening. The national highway should be widened with two way traffic and an underpass to prevent accidents. This would provide safety to the commuters and the locals too,” said Mardolkar.
Recently, few months ago, one truck after losing control hit the parked bus and also hit one pedestrian who was standing near the bus stop leading to his death.
“Such accidents are frequently taking place and before any major untoward incident happens the government should look into this problem. Several times shops at the roadside are also damaged by heavy vehicles while proceeding towards Panjim. In another incident, a truck loaded with laterite stones while negotiating a turn at Kundaim slope hit the bus halted at the bus stop to pick up the passengers due to which several passengers were injured. Often loaded trucks hit the buses halting to pick up the passengers causing injuries to the passengers, which needs to be prevented,” he added.
“Not only the national highway stretch but also internal roads in all the four constituencies of Ponda Taluka have many sharp turns and so need improvement with straightening of at least dangerous turns. Since past one and half month around six accidents occurred on the Ponda roads mostly fatal,” said Mardolkar.
Meanwhile, Priol MLA and Co-operation Minister Govind Gaude was not reachable for his comments.
