NH66 turns out to be killer road in Malappuram

MALAPPURAM: The National Highway 66 in Malappuram, especially the stretch between Chelembra and Changuvetty has virtually become lethal with several road mishaps. Ten people were killed and more than 50 injured in different accidents in May alone. Seven accidents occurred during the past two weeks — most of them reported at Tirurangadi Police station. The dance of death on the major national highway continued unabated while many of the road safety measures mooted by authorities remained still on paper.

Of the 55 accident-prone black spots identified by a joint team of motor vehicle department, police and PWD, more than 10 are along this 90-kilometre stretch. The district collector had earlier asked the concerned authorities to conduct a joint inspection at all the black spots to chart out a plan to make them safe. “A detailed plan for road safety measures will soon be submitted to the government. The initial activities have already been started to study the issues at identified black spots,” RTO K.M. Shaji said.

The Traffic Advisory Committee meeting convened by the collector last week had blamed the lack of proper coordination between concerned departments for road works to ensure safety. “Lack of width, dividers, properly placed sign boards and illegally erected hoardings are stated to be primary causes. Unscientific road alignment is also contributing much to the number of mishaps,” says K.M. Abdu, president, Road Accident Action Forum. While the government is going ahead with the land acquisition for its widening, the local resistance is also strong. They blocked ongoing social impact study by a private agency at many places.