A car damaged in a road accident at Nalco Square in Bhubaneswar. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 20: Rash driving, too many median cuts and stray cattle have made the stretch between Jayadev Vihar Square and Patia Square on the busy Nandankanan Road accident prone.

The latest mishap there took place last night at Nalco Square. Seven persons sustained injuries and six vehicles were damaged in the mishap. Three of the injured are in critical condition and undergoing treatment at various private hospitals in the city.

Traffic police officials said driver of an SUV Prashant Chhotray, a resident of Bomikhal, was drunk when he hit a motorcycle at Nalco Square. The SUV jumped the median to hit three cars and a motorcycle coming from the opposite direction around 10pm on Sunday. Sources said Chhotray’s condition was critical.

Chandrasekharpur police have registered a case against the driver.

“After Chhotray recovers from his injuries, we will arrest him,” said inspector in charge of Chandrasekharpur police station R.N. Satpathy.

The accident sparked tension in the area. Local residents alleged that drivers regularly drove recklessly on this road making it prone to accidents. “Reckless driving has been the cause of many accidents on this road. Most of the drivers are drunk at night, which increases the chance of mishaps,” said Samaresh Dhal, a resident of Chandrasekharpur BDA Colony.

The residents also alleged that a large number of cuts in the road divider on this stretch and improper signal system posed a danger to commuters.

Sources said there were more than 15 median cuts on the stretch between Jayadev Vihar Square and Patia Square.

Lack of streetlights and stray cattle add to the problems. “People from nearby villages let their cattle loose on the stretch. We have been instructing them not to let their cattle roam the streets and even fine the owners, but they haven’t stopped,” said a Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) officer.

Mayor A.N. Jena said the streetlights had been fixed and would start operating after inauguration. He also said there was only one cowcatcher at BMC. “We plan to build a kine house at Patia and confine the cattle to that structure and fine the owners. If they continue letting their animals loose there, we will auction these cattle,” said Jena.

Inspector in charge of traffic police station at AG Square Ranjan Mallick said they had informed that the public works department officials to seal off some of the median cuts, and they would do so shortly.

In another accident this afternoon, a mother-son duo were killed when an autorickshaw carrying goods hit their motorcycle on the Jatani bypass. Jatani police have arrested the auto driver.