By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR:Sambalpur MP Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has written a letter to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari requesting him to address the increasing vehicular traffic, crowding and road accident incidents on National Highway No. 49 passing through Deogarh district under Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency.
Shri Pradhan mentioned in the letter that the National Highway is being used for inter-state goods and traffic along with local people, creating a risk of danger. Shri Pradhan demanded three major structural solutions to ensure the safety and smooth movement of people in Deogarh district. The high-speed vehicles of NH-49 are plying at the Y-junction near Ambedkar Chowk at the beginning of Deogarh Bypass. Since there are important institutions like Collectorate, New Bus Stand and Women’s College here, there is a constant traffic problem among the locals going here. To avoid accidents and safety hazards, it has become very urgent to construct a dedicated service road and an elevated flyover with proper highway lighting system.
Similarly, near the city limits, at Birsamunda intersection, where State Highway-21 and National Highway-49 meet, which passes through the Deogarh-Angul Road, serious accidents are occurring due to local vehicles clashing with speeding vehicles. This situation increases the risk of major accidents. To eliminate these dangerous collision points, a well-structured slip road and a vehicular underpass should be constructed on NH-49.
Due to rapid urbanization in the area, the residential population is continuously increasing in populated areas like Kola, Kandal and Tilaivani. As a result, the traffic of local pedestrians on the highway has increased, raising concerns about their safety. He felt that it is necessary to construct service roads with drains on the roadside, separate guard rails for pedestrians and highway lighting facilities to separate local traffic from fast traffic.
Keeping in view these urgent road safety requirements, the MP has requested Shri Pradhan Shri Gadkari to look into the matter at a personal level and direct the National Highways Authority of India to grant the necessary clearances to these proposals on priority basis in the larger interest of the people of Deogarh.
