Post News Network
Basta, March 24: Vehicular movement was halted for over seven hours on the NH-60 Tuesday as scores of locals squatted on the road at Bhelora Chhak in Balasore following the death of a cyclist in an accident.
Angry locals blocked the highway by burning tyres, while scores of vehicles remained stranded along the road for over seven hours. As accidents happened at the Chhak, they demanded speed breakers there.
Pradip Jena (24), son of Adwita Jena of Sarisa village, was going on his bicycle to Rajghat, when a truck knocked him down.
He was grievously wounded. Local traders said that while Jena was wallowing in a pool of blood on the road, the truck again ploughed him. The wounded succumbed at Phuladi Chhak while being taken away to the district headquarters hospital in an ambulance.
Locals said that 17 accidents have taken place at the same place in the last three months. They have been demanding construction of an underpass at the place to ease traffic and to prevent accidents, but in vain.
The protesters demanded adequate compensation for the bereaved family and continued their protest seeking explanation from the NHAI. However, NHAI officials didn’t turn up for hours.
Officials of IL&FS company, which carries the NH expansion work, also did not visit the site even after they were contacted over phone, locals said.
As the situation remained tense, tehsildar Bhabataran Sahu, SDPO Gobinda Chandra Sethi, Basta IIC Krushna Chandra Palei and other police officials rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the angry locals.
Later the project director of NHAI reached the spot and assured steps to build an underpass in seven days.
The agitators relented. The Basta tehsildar provided `10,000 from Red Cross Fund to the bereaved family. Vehicular movement became normal by the evening.