As a 60-km stretch of the NH-5(A) (Paradip-Daitary Expressway) under the jurisdiction of Kendrapada district has virtually become a deathtrap for commuters because of the iron ore-laden trucks remaining stranded in two lines on the left side of the highway, the district administration on Tuesday held a meeting with truck owners’ associations to prevent road mishaps on this busy road.
Members of the Paradip Truck Owners’ Association , Kendrapada Truck Owners’ Association and Chandikhol Truck Owners’ Association and the district Collector, SP and Sub-Collector and SDPOs of Kendrapada, Marshaghai and Derabish and representatives of the inhabitants residing on both sides of NH-5(A) attended in the meeting held at the Collectorate here.
District Collector Niranjan Nayak asked the truck owners to ensure a permanent solution to the jam on the road due to trucks remaining stationary for long hours. While a meeting will be held under the chairmanship of the RDC (Central) soon to sort out the problem, for the time being, the district administration directed the truck owners to keep their vehicles in a single line from October 3.
The truck owners were also directed not to ply trucks with more than 30-km speed on the stretch from Nilachal Bazar to Duhuria to avoid accidents. An interceptor vehicle would be engaged on the highway to check the trucks’ speed, said the district Collector.