Road divider turns killer at Dabolim
HERALD REPORTER
VASCO, JAN 12
A road divider on the highway near the Naval Armament Depot (NAD) at Alto Dabolim-Chicalim has turned into an accident-prone zone.
If motorists and residents of Alto-Dabolim are to be believed, there has been growing number of accidents on the curve of NH-17B near NAD due to illegal opening of the divider.
The divider has been forcibly removed by some miscreants to enable access to vehicles, but this has posed a danger to other motorists along the route.
Such illegal opening of dividers could be found at three different places along the NH-17B, one at Sai Nagar near Coast Guard, Mangor-Vasco, where people have damaged the divider and made way, while the two openings are within 20 mtrs stretch at NAD, Alto Dabolim.
Minor and major accidents on these openings have become a regular phenomenon, as once Deputy Speaker and Cortalim MLA Mauvin Godinho’s car had knocked down a youth when he suddenly took a turn from the illegal opening at NAD.
Sources said that these two openings are on the curve of the road and that too on a narrow stretch of road at NAD.
“Opening of dividers is illegal and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has not allowed such opening,” confirmed NHAI Project Director P S Dodamani.
“We had closed it earlier, but overnight some people removed it for their convenience. We will complain to the local authority and get it closed shortly,” assured Dodamani.
Shashikant Patil of Vasco said during night, it’s dangerous if the driver is new or if he is unaware about these opening of divider on the lane.
Chicalim Sarpanch Raul D’Costa said: “We are ready to help NHAI if they want us to close the illegal divider.”
“Such openings are illegal which has lead to many accidents in the past. If NHAI wants to close it, we will be happy,” said D’Costa.
