Mishap-prone spots cry for attention

TEAM HERALD

teamherald@herald-goa.com

PANJIM: Accident-prone spots numbering 70 all across the State continue to haunt highways and district roads as a pathetic approach from authorities leaves more than 90 per cent of the remedial work incomplete in the last one year.

Identified by the Traffic Cell of the Goa Police in early 2012, the accident-prone spots in both the Districts of the State and talukas have seen little or no improvement even though the traffic police continue to send reminders to Public Works Department.

In North Goa there are 46 accident-prone spots, while South Goa has 24 where more than 170 lives have been lost, in addition to others suffering grievous and minor injuries.

Except for some minor works initiated along the Porvorim-Mapusa highway, Agassaim-Bambolim by-pass and the Verna-Margao highway, other spots continue to remain accident-prone even today.

“In fact not even 10 per cent of the work for improving the road engineering to reduce mishaps at many of the accident-prone spots has been undertaken,” 

said Vijay Singh, Superintendent of Police (Traffic Cell).

While 70 accident prone spots were identified and submitted to the PWD in June last year, the traffic cell is irked over the fact that the PWD has not yet called for a joint inspection of the sites till date.

Records show that a reminder was sent to the PWD in April this year on the need for a joint inspection. “This too has not been complied with,” Singh said.

According to officials, unless a site study of the enlisted accident-prone spots is conducted, the traffic cell opines that the PWD will not know what remedial measures have to be initiated towards improving the road engineering.

The remedial measures, according to the traffic police are aplenty, from widening of roads, reducing sharp turns, proper street illumination, shifting bus stops, introducing speed breakers, road dividers etc pointing that each spot would have different requirements needed to be put in place.

The PWD on the other hand defends itself blaming increasing accidents in Goa to rash and negligent driving.

PWD’s Principal Chief Engineer JS Rego said, “You cannot blame poor road engineering as cause of road accidents all the time”.

This senior official further stated that the PWD received a list of accident-prone spots in the State and said that in many cases tenders have been floated for undertaking works for improving the same.

Rego was, however, unable to disclose how many of the accident-prone spots have been rectified or money spent or proposed to be spent on this aspect.

Records show that the capital city of Goa itself has five accident-prone spots where in 18 people died in the last one year. These include Kala Academy, near old Secretariat, near Bal Bhavan-Campal, near Caranzalem petrol pump and near Magsons Supercentre, Campal.

Old Goa has 6 which has killed 14 people, Ponda has four where nearly 20 people lost their lives. 

Porvorim has the highest in North Goa numbering 8 killing as many as 10 people.

In South Goa, Verna tops with five accident-prone spots followed by Margao, Curtorim, Curchorem, Canacona and Vasco.

In North Goa Patto-Ribandar, Bambolim slope, Siridao slope, near Mandovi bridge (Porvorim side), near Sai Service showroom, Arpora Junction, Malpem slope, Surla Ghodbai are accident-prone zones while in South Goa, KTC bus stand, Ambaji junction, Navelim junction, Tilamol junction, Pajirnol Ugem, MES college junction, Agnel Ashram junction, Birla junction, Cortalim cross, near Pirni petrol pump are the accident-prone zones.