Team Herald
PONDA: After the locals of Curti, Khandepar and Bethora objected to the parking of trucks along the National Highway and Bypass Road traversing their villages, truck drivers, who transport goods from across the country to the industrial units in Ponda, say they struggle to find parking space and rest-stops in the area.
One truck driver had a close shave on Wednesday night, when his truck toppled off the road into a large ditch, while he was looking for a place to park on a dark service road in Curti. Just after midnight, the driver said his truck veered off the road into a steep ditch, but he escaped with minor injuries.
It may be recalled that the locals of Curti Khandepar evicted the trucks parked on the side of the four-lane highway after a two-wheeler rider was killed in an accident involving a truck. They have also installed sign boards on the Curti Highway prohibiting parking on the NH.
The truckers had shifted to the Bethora Bypass, but faced the same treatment from the locals and panchas of Bethora as well. Left with no option, the truck drivers have now started parking wherever they find empty space and service roads across Ponda.
The people of Ponda have for long been demanding a dedicated truck terminus for heavy vehicles. Being centrally located, the trucks transporting raw material to factories in Goa often park their vehicles in Ponda until they start their return trips. “This takes 8 to 15 days of waiting time. Every other State has a truck terminus; we face a lot of difficulty in Goa,” said the drivers.
