A cop helps a man cross the road on NH-5 where the stretch to Hi-Tech Medical College begins. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, April 5: Residents of Hanspal, Pandra, Rudrapur and colonies near Saptasati temple have demanded an underpass on a priority basis as the road linking NH-5 to Hi-Tech Medical College through Pandra has become prone to accidents.

Local residents say that in a year, there are nearly five to six deaths at the spot as the road leading to Pandra is also linked by two lanes of the NH-5. The NH-5 has been bifurcated in this area.

Officials of Mancheswar police agreed that the NH-5 to Hi-Tech Medical College stretch had become accident-prone and in the past three months there have been two accident-related deaths.

“Had it been only the one-way traffic on the two lanes of the bifurcated NH-5, there would have been no problem. But what happens is that because of increasing urbanisation near the bifurcation point, a large number of vehicles from nearby areas violate the one-way rule and create a traffic mess. This chaotic situation can only be improved if an underpass is built here,” said Bhabtosh Hota, a resident of Hanspal.

Arjit Mohapatra, a leading paediatrician of the city, who owns a plot near Hanspal, said: “The officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) should have finished work on the underpass by now as the NH-5 expansion has been on for years. The place has become a death trap even though people pass through it to reach a health care delivery destination.”

Assistant commissioner of police (traffic) Binod Dash agreed that the crossing near NH-5 had become accident-prone.

He said Cuttack-Bhubaneswar police had written to the NHAI to take up construction of an underpass.

“We wrote a letter to them two months ago and they have promised to take steps,” he said.

NHAI project director Anil Dixit, who joined office a few days ago, told The Telegraph: “Since there is a hospital near the national highway, it should ideally have an underpass to help patients and their attendants to reach the institute safely. We will take immediate steps to build an underpass there.”

The NHAI have already built an underpass near University Law College of Utkal University.

Similar steps have also been taken to allow pedestrians to cross the highway safely near Pahala.

An underpass already exists near Ainginia on the outskirts of the city.