Rourkela: The stretch of the National Highway-143 from Panposh to Lathikata near here has turned into a deathtrap for commuters with several having fallen victim in recent times, a report said Thursday.
The matter came to the fore after members of Jagannath Sanskruti Jagaran Manch led by their convenor Khageswar Das met the additional district magistrate here and submitted a memorandum to him in this regard Thursday.
Das alleged that there has not been a single day when accidents have not occurred on the highway because of improper construction of the road, rash driving and violation of traffic rules. They held administrative apathy guilty for the rise in mishaps and demanded that the ADM talk to the National Highway authorities and take immediate remedial measures.
They alleged that the stretch of the highway from Tarkara pump house to Hatibandha Canteen Square has become an accident-prone zone with the area witnessing nine to ten deaths of commuters in June and July.
Many of the injured persons are still undergoing treatment in hospitals of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. People are not feeling safe to travel on the highway and have demanded the highway be widened. They also demanded more efficient traffic management at Deogaon and Rangila Square and restrictions on speed-driving.
Members Gourang Nayak, Gopinath Das, Bipin Lenka and Susant were part of the delegation while submitting memorandum to the ADM.
