Talcher: Frequent mishaps have become a regular affair on the stretch of road from Bankadhara Square to College Road on the National Highway-53 here in Angul district due to plying of over 5,000 trucks daily on the route, a report said Thursday.
The stretch of road begins after a commuter crosses the coal corridor in this town and approaches the Bankadhara Square and vice-versa to take on the highway. Things have come to such a pass that it has become even difficult to walk on the road as one does not know when one will have a date with death on the route.
This has happened as the local administration and authorities of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) have turned deaf ear to the problems, the locals claimed.
The road condition is pitiable with potholes, pollution and muck, making it difficult for a commuter to move on the road. A motorist or biker has to switch on the lights while moving on the route as heavy pollution clouds the sky during sunny days. The situation goes out of control during slightest rainfall as the entire stretch gets filled with muck and slush.
Locals have alleged that after crossing the coal corridor, over 4000 to 5000 trucks daily ply from Bankadhara Square cutting through the by-pass road to reach Ballhar Square to the highway which connects to Kaniha, NTPC, Rengali and Pallahara in the district.
This road is daily used by school and college students and is the only route to reach the block, tehsil, sub-divisional hospital and the sub-collector’s office alongside the highway. Residents have demanded to take urgent steps for repairing the road and to make alternative arrangements for plying the trucks. PNN
