Accident prone: The meeting point of NH-5 and NH-203 near Pandra. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, Jan. 13: The meeting point of NH-5 and the NH-203 near Pandra on the outskirts of the city will have a flyover within the next three years.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is taking help of experts to study the area to design and execute the flyover project at the spot that has claimed six deaths since the first week of July.

The by-pass on the highway was necessitated near Pandra as the original NH-203 from Rasulgarh Square to Samantarapur leading to Puri is too busy.

However, after the bypass was temporarily opened during rath yatra last year, the authorities realised the need to construct a flyover at the spot to prevent accidents.

Project director, NHAI, Anil Dixit said: “We are aware of the situation. Already our designers and safety experts are on the job to select an appropriate design for the site, but it will take some time. I hope that within three years there would be a flyover to minimise chances of road mishaps.’’

Though he did not reveal much regarding the design pattern, Dixit spoke of constructing an underpass and other facilities to help commuters and pedestrians to cross over to the other side.

“The NH-203 diversion was opened temporarily after a discussion between the state government and NHAI officials during the first week of July last year. The road will formally be opened during the Nabakalebara (change of idols of the Trinity in the Jagannath temple in Puri) in 2015. But seeing the incidents of road mishaps, the NHAI should prioritise the flyover construction,’’ said Bijay Kumar Sahu, an agent of the Life Insurance Corporation of India, who has to negotiate the crossroad daily.

A resident of GGP colony, Prabuddha Jagadeb, who is in the city on a vacation from Chennai, said: “The NHAI and the Odisha government should have anticipated the mishap possibility at the junction. As two major highways meet there, a flyover should have been built by the time the road is finally commissioned in 2015. At least the NHAI should plan the flyover by Nabakalebara.’’

Data available with the twin city police reveals that Bhubaneswar encounters around 1,500 to 2,000 serious accidents in a year and it is around 30 per cent of the total cases registered by the police.

“Of the serious mishaps, almost 1,000 or more die each year and others meet with permanent disabilities,’’ said a senior police official of the traffic wing.

On the other hand, there are around eight lakh vehicles running in the state capital. Out of this, 6.64 lakh are two-wheelers. Every year around 90,000 vehicles add to the count.

Additional commissioner of police (traffic) Binod Das said: “The meeting point of NH-5 and NH-203 near Pandra has become a major worry for the cops. But the NHAI has initiated a process to commission a flyover so that one road will be diverted above the other to minimise accidents. We have received information of five or six deaths in between Pandra village road leading towards the Hi Tech Medical College and the meeting point of the two highways. We are following it up with the NHAI to have a flyover there as soon as possible.’’