Mail News Service
Saraikela, Oct 7: In addition to the coronavirus pandemic, road accidents have been the bane prevailing in Saraikela-Kharsawan district. In the nine months upto September 2020, 122 major road mishaps have accounted for 80 deaths leaving 73 persons seriously wounded. An approximate average reveals that 80 percent of these road accidents are due to haphazard parking of heavy vehicles along the main road. In September alone the death toll due to accidents on this route is 53 lives.
In view of the disconcerting situation, the District Transport department has pulled up its stockings and is planning to take legal measures against haphazard and illegal parking of vehicles along the main road. In fact, the DTO personnel have started checking on these vehicles and collecting fines. Legal measures will soon be taken against offenders.
Illegal parking hotspots: i) Saraikela SDO court to petrol pump; ii) Sanjay culvert to Sini Morh; iii) in front of line hotels (dhabas) between Sini Morh and Dugni Babudih main road; iv) from Kudarsai petrol pump to Magudih; from Kolabira to industrial area; v) from the vicinity of Bikani lake to Sheyn International School and vi) Kandra Morh to the toll gate.
Road accident toll: January: 14 accidents, 11 deaths, 5 injured; February: 14 accidents, 9 deaths, 7 injured; March: 15 accidents, 14 deaths, 11 injured; April: 1 accident, 1 death; May: 11 accidents, 4 deaths, 9 injured; June: 11 accidents, 7 deaths, 5 injured; July: 17 accidents, 10 deaths, 7 injured; August: 13 accidents, 6 deaths, 7 injured; September: 26 accidents, 18 deaths, 22 injured.
No parking zones: With Saraikela-Kharsawan being in the centre of the two other districts of Kolhan Region, Chaibasa and Jamshedpur, heavy vehicles pass through Saraikela at high speed to make it before �No Entry� timings are put in place at both ends. This has a contra effect on the Saraikela main route as drivers and handymen of these heavy vehicles, in order to make time, rush and park their vehicles at all available spots especially in front of dhabas. These haphazard parking of heavy vehicles have led to severe road mishaps. There have been several demands by notaries for No Entry timings and Parking Zones but no concrete move had thus far been effected. Saraikela Nagar panchayat vice president Manoj Kumar Chowdhary has been demanding imposition of No Entry timings for heavy vehicles within the city limits for long while Nagar Panchayat president Minakshi Pattanaik has been calling for Speed Limit norms.
District Transport Officer Dinesh Ranjan has informed that drives are being planned to take legal steps against truckers parking their vehicles along the main road. He said they would be fined and legal proceedings would be initiated against them.
