Jamshedpur : The ambitious project of marine drive along the Kharkai and Subarnarekha rivers through Kadma and Sonari was envisioned to ease movement of heavy vehicles in the steel city, but hurdle-free ride through this road has given rise to series of fatal road mishap.
According to information about seven persons were killed and two others injured in separate mishap on this nine-kilometre stretch on the marine drive since January 1 this year, giving rise to the belief that the marine drive no longer safe for the pedestrians, cyclists and even the two-wheeler riders.
Lack of deployment of police personnel is also one of the reasons for reckless driving. Marine drive links the steel city to Adityapur Through Adityapur toll bridge on the one side and to NH-33 through the Mango bridge on the other side. Moreover there is not a single speed-breaker despite the fact that over a dozen slums exist along the marine drive.
Senior superintendent of police, East Singhbhum Anoop T Mathew admitted that the vehicles, especially the cars and SUV run at a great speed sometime and they have plans to make the ride through the marine drive safer in mishap point of view.
“We are aware of the situation. We had carried survey of the entire marine drive to select a spot for setting up a police picket somewhere between Kadma and Sonari, but in view of repeated fatal road mishap, we are reviewing whether the spot that we have already identified will be suitable or not. Because most of the fatal mishaps have taken place in the stretch of marine drive falling under Sonari police station area only,” said Mathew.
He said as part of the measures being planned they will put the important traffic signs at the point road crossing and also along the residential areas and will ensure that the vehicle-riders, especially the truck operators follow them.
Another officer also expressed concerns. “The traffic is very less on the marine drive, thus no traffic post has been set up on the stretch as of now. The traffic police will take steps to check the rash-driving,� he noted.
Notably, the 10-kilometres-long marine drive is being set up to keep the steel city free from the movement of heavy vehicles from inside the city.
The Rs 120 crores worth project which comes under the Tata Steel’s Western Corridor Project was started in June 2012 and was scheduled to be end by June 2014. But due to the encroachment hurdle along Kadma side, the work was suspended at the side where there was encroachment.
It may be mentioned that in view of the expansion plans of Tata Steel and other Tata Group companies in Jamshedpur, Tata Steel Limited had engaged reputed Consultant M/s L& T Rambole and M/s Consulting Engineering Services of Delhi to do a transport study of Jamshedpur.
