VASCO: The new Varunapuri-Mormugao Port highway junction has emerged as a new hotspot for accidents as the location has witnessed four accidents in one month.
On Sunday night, a Defence employee Arvind Paswan (31) was killed after his two-wheeler collided against a coal-laden truck at Varunapuri junction, Vasco.
The locals gathered at the Varunapuri –Mormugao Port highway junction site and blocked transportation of heavy trucks till speed breakers and traffic signals are erected on the highway.
“The heavy vehicles ply at high speed, regardless of smaller vehicles and two wheelers. There is no policeman at the junction to check for drunken driving. Neither the highway authorities nor traffic police have bothered to take any preventive measures,” they alleged.
On getting the information, Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar along with Mormugao councillor Ameya Chopdekar rushed to the spot and the situation was diffused after assuring the agitated residents that immediate measures would be taken by the authorities to prevent accidents.
On Monday, Salkar along with South Goa Collector Ashwin Chandru and other concerned officials carried out joint inspection at Varunapuri junction and suggested erection of rumbler strips with blinkers as immediate measure to prevent accidents.
The officials of PWD, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Traffic Police, Indian Navy and other departments were present during the inspection. Salkar said that the Varunapuri junction has become the busiest spot on the national highway and it needs improvements such as erection of rumblers, widening of bylanes and to impose ban on roadside parking of vehicles.
Soon after the joint inspection, it was decided as immediate measures to issue order to erect rumblers so as to reduce the speed of vehicles. Salkar said that all the encroachment along the Varunapuri junction and the highway will be removed and the entire road will be illuminated by installing high masts.
The Vasco MLA further said that he will ask the Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) and the transporters to ensure that drivers do not drive trucks in an inebriated state.
South Goa Collector Ashwin Chandru said that he had taken the stock of the situation and that efforts will be taken to improve the situation at Varunapuri junction to prevent accidents in future.
