R.Udayagiri: A stretch of NH-326 connecting Mohana-Paralakhemundi in Gajapati district has turned to be a death trap.
For the tribal-dominated Mohana block, this road is the only way to connect with the district headquarters office, hospital and other government offices at Paralakhemundi.
However, the block denizens, school and college students and patients commuting on this road say that it is no surprise that accidents on the road are a common affair.
Several factors are responsible for accidents here. Potholes, bad shape of road, stray bovines and the absence of warning signs for the potholes have made the road accident-prone.
Owing to traffic jams, buses and school vans are seen stuck for hours. Children often get late reaching schools and return home late. Though this year the students have not faced such problems, thank to the COVID-19 pandemic. Worse, patients going in ambulances lay stranded for hours despite emergency.
In dry seasons, the area remains polluted due to clouds of dust rising from the transport activities while in the rainy season, commuting woes worsen with water poodles and craters.
Locals had submitted a memorandum to the Collector seeking repair of the road. As nothing was done, they took up the issue at the Collector’s grievances hearing, but that also in vain.
Locals alleged that it is the good equation between the contactors and PWD department engineers, though the road has been repaired every year by spending lakhs of rupees, it again develops big potholes within one to two months of its repairing.
Though our correspondent tried to reach the senior executive engineer of the PWD department, he denied for the same on the pretext of COVID-19 pandemic.
PNN
