Bhubaneswar, Oct. 30: National highway No. 5 maintained its reputation of being accident-prone today.
Quite accidentally, around 20 pedestrians narrowly escaped with their lives when a speeding truck rammed into a showroom by the roadside today. The truck had jumped the traffic signal at Fire Station Square before the accident occurred.
The truck driver did not apply the brakes at the traffic signal and swerved off the road before ramming into the showroom gate and damaging three motorcycles on display. People waiting for public conveyance escaped by a whisker. “Thankfully, there were no one was standing at the spot,” said Pramod Das, a salesman of the damaged showroom. Khandagiri police have detained the driver and seized the truck.
Traffic violation has been a perennial problem on the national highway No. 5 that passes through the city, because of rash driving by drivers of trucks, autorickshaws and cars, leading to frequent accidents. Traffic cops said the construction of flyovers that has been going on at five places along the highway made it difficult for them to regulate vehicular movement. With narrow roads on both sides of the construction sites and limited manpower, their woes have doubled. “The unruly drivers make the situation worse,” said a traffic constable.
Last night, son of former minister Anjali Behera and four of his friends were arrested in connection with a road rage incident after their car hit another vehicle on the highway near Acharya Vihar Square.
On October 11, a truck driver was injured after a traffic constable beat him up on NH-5 at Palasuni Square for jumping a traffic signal. A senior traffic police officer said the truck did not stop when signalled to do so and could have hit parked vehicles.
The inspector in charge of the traffic police station, Ranjan Mallick, said some motorists drove too fast on the NH. “It leads to scuffles between the drivers and our men (traffic cops),” said Mallick.
Road transport officials had recommended installing speed governors in heavy vehicles and autorickshaws to restrict their speed limit. But vehicle associations opposed the move and the order was kept in abeyance by the high court.
Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police had even asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to depute traffic volunteers to ease the pressure on the cops in managing traffic around the flyover construction sites. However, the NHAI passed the buck on to the construction company, which later deployed 60 volunteers called traffic marshals, half the number demanded by the city police.
Assistant commissioner of police, traffic, Binod Kumar Das, said: “These volunteers assist our people. They ensure that no vehicles are parked on the road.”
However, commuters said driving near the construction sites was a nightmare. “Sometimes we some men wearing illuminated jackets managing the vehicular movement. They give confusing signals,” said Kedar Sundaray, a resident of Baramunda Housing Board Colony.
RECENT INCIDENTS
October 10: Traffic police beats up truck driver for violating norms on NH-5
September 12: Speeding truck kills traffic policeman near Palasuni Square
on NH-5
August 27: Assistant commissioner of police (traffic) beats up autorickshaw driver at Vani Vihar Square for traffic rule violation
December 13, 2011: Nayapalli police arrest three persons for assaulting a home guard on NH-5. The guard had stopped a mini goods carrier for violating traffic norms
Traffic facts
Overbridges being built at five intersections on NH-5
60 traffic marshals to assist traffic police
40 traffic police personnel deployed at traffic squares on highway
l250 traffic police man various traffic squares across city
SPEED LIMITS
Heavy vehicles: 65kmph
School and college buses: 50kmph
Autorickshaws: 30kmph
