Kendrapara, June 27: The 106-km-long State Highway between Cuttack and Chandballi has almost turned into a death trap with frequent road accidents being reported on the stretch.

The highway is widely regarded as the lifeline for people in Kendrapara district. Besides Kendrapara, it traverses though Bhadrak and Cuttack districts as well. With the Rs 800-crore worth World Bank-funded highway widening project moving at a snail's pace, it has become a nightmarish experience for motorists and pedestrians on the stretch.

At least a dozen of road accidents are being reported on the road almost on a daily basis. On an average, the highway has accounted for seven human casualties every month due to road accident. However, it is expected that the rate of mishaps would come down after the double-laning gets over.

As of now, rash driving is mainly held responsible for the accidents. Police and the road transport department have been directed to book drivers involved in rash and reckless driving, said Kendrapara collector Debraj Senapati.

The highway is being widened up to 22 metres for trouble-free vehicular movement, he said.

Unregulated vehicular traffic, violation of the road-safety norms, drunken driving and unauthorised roadside parking have contributed to the mishaps.

Thickly populated villages besides educational institutions, marketplaces and vegetable mandis are located beside the highway. As a result, these areas have emerged as accident-prone zones. "Apart from initiating the road safety measures, crackdown on reckless driving is the need of the hour to bring down the incidence of road accidents. These apart, the accident rate could be brought down if the highway is upgraded to double-lane," said road safety activist Manoj Kumar Satapathy.

The road has come under roadside encroachment in strategic traffic junctions. The drivers are parking their vehicles on roadside instead of the assigned lay-bys. The majority of accidents recorded in the recent past were the result of vehicles hitting the parked ones.

Road safety campaigners attributed the non-installation of traffic signals, badly maintained vehicles, reckless and drunken driving and the unauthorised roadside parking to the mishaps.

"There is complete absence of police and motor vehicle department patrolling. As a result, rash driving has become the order of the day. Roadside parking spilling over to the highway is also a cause of worry for motorists. In places such as Chandol, Nishintakoili and Salipur, vendors are found doing business precariously close to the highway," said motorist Sudhansu Kumar Jena.