Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, Feb 9: National Highway-18, a crucial arterial road connecting Jharkhand with Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar, witnessed a massive traffic jam from Sunday evening that continued till Monday afternoon, paralysing movement for nearly 20 hours.
The 15-Km-long gridlock not only choked one of eastern India’s key lifelines but also pushed hundreds of commuters into distressing situations.
The disruption came at a particularly sensitive time, as matriculation and intermediate board examinations are currently underway in Jharkhand.
On Monday, the traffic chaos turned into mental agony for examinees from the Chandil region whose examination centre was located at the Plus Two High School in Raghunathpur under the Nimdih block.
Students stranded on the highway were seen desperately trying to reach their centres on time.
Several examinees took significant risks, navigating through narrow, uneven farm paths on motorcycles to somehow make it to the examination hall, while many others arrived well past the scheduled time.
The most disturbing impact of the traffic snarl was felt in the healthcare sector.
Dozens of ambulances carrying critically ill patients from Nimdih, Kukru and adjoining areas of West Bengal towards Jamshedpur remained trapped in the jam for hours. With no space to manoeuvre, emergency vehicles were unable to move forward.
Social activist Avdhesh Murmu said that there was not even enough room to clear a passage for ambulances, resulting in the condition of several patients deteriorating dangerously.
The immediate trigger for the traffic chaos was the breakdown of a heavy vehicle on the Pitki overbridge on Sunday night.
However, local residents alleged that the root cause lies in prolonged negligence by the National Highways Authority and the construction agency, as the Pitki overbridge has remained incomplete for a long time.
Adding to the problem is the frequent closure of the Pitki railway crossing, which further aggravates congestion. Residents expressed surprise that despite this route being regularly used by ministers, MPs and senior officials, no concrete steps have been taken to permanently resolve this long-standing issue.
Local villagers have warned that if the overbridge work is not completed soon and traffic movement is not streamlined, they will be forced to launch an aggressive agitation.
