Joda: Illegal parking of trucks and other heavy vehicles on Rimuli bypass on National Highway-520 in Keonjhar district has turned into a nightmare for other commuters. It has led to a spate of road mishaps in the recent past. Vehicles are parked illegally on a 30- kilometre stretch from Rimuli to Rugudi leaving very little space for smaller vehicles to move.
However, the district administration or the NHAI is yet to take any preventive measures, locals alleged. The gruesome death of six persons including five members of a family in a road mishap on Rimuli bypass May 15 is a case in this point. The mishap occurred after the car they were travelling in got sandwiched between two trucks on NH-520. Locals alleged that illegal parking of trucks was the main reason behind the accident. They pointed out that their lives are in danger because of this malady. They also stated that the deplorable road conditions are another primary reason behind the frequent mishaps.
Despite the construction of a new parking bay at Angulia on the highway, illegal parking continues unabated. The parking bay was completed more than two years back, but since then has remained non-operational. Had it opened for public use, parking issues would have been solved to a great extent, locals said. The absence of street lights, CCTV cameras and speed-breakers are other reasons why the stretch has turned into a death trap, observed resident Prasanna Kumar Behera.
Others including Tankadhar Patra and Madhav Chandra Behera pointed out that the apathy of the NHAI in solving the issues is creating confusion. The three alleged that NHAI collects tolls from commuters who travel from Keonjhar to Barbil at two counters but does nothing to improve the condition of the road or prevent illegal parking. They along with a few others threatened long-term agitation if the NHAI does not take preventive measures to stop illegal parking and improve the deplorable road conditions found at various stretches of NH-520.
