The National Highway-49 passing through Keonjhar district connecting Kolkata and Mumbai is in its worst condition due to lack of repair. Heavy traffic on the dilapidated road is causing frequent accidents for which it has turned a death trap killing and injuring persons almost every day.
local citizens, including the BJP leaders, recently met the authorities demanding urgent repair of the road. Realising the importance of the highway and considering the increasing traffic, the Central Government meanwhile has decided to four lane the NH for which the tender to build the highway has been given to Monte Carlo.
The contractor company has set his camp on the site and is busy cutting road side trees and clearing the roadside for construction.
While this exercise is going on over months, the highway authority has stopped repair of the road for last three years which led to fast deterioration of its condition. The 110- km stretch of the highway from Turumunga to Binjabahal is in utterly poor condition making it difficult for buses and passenger vehicles to ply on the road. At least four people were killed and 45 injured in road accidents on this highway under the Sadar police limits within the last few weeks.
Similarly, 17 accidents occurred under Kanjipani police station limits killing five and inuring 25 persons. The big ditches and deep potholes on the road are creating much inconvenience for which drivers are losing control resulting in accidents.
It takes more than three hours now to cross the 20 km Kanjipani Ghat stretch instead of 30 minutes earlier.
Frequent road jams also add to misery of the travellers on the bad road. The district BJP has submitted a memorandum to the Collector recently and different social forums have threatened to go on mass agitation if the repair is not taken up urgently.