DIBRUGARH, April 19 � The very unfortunate demise of popular political activist Deba Kumar Bora at Kaziranga in the wee hours of March 30 has once again underscored the need for safe highways in the State, with its ever increasing number of vehicles plying round the clock. Also very unfortunate is that none of the major political parties have accorded the required priority to a four/six lane national highway between Guwahati and Jairampur in Tinsukia district.
As long as a very busy highway like NH-37 is two laned remains in its present form, accidents are bound to occur, said Palit Borah of Jorhat, himself a political activist and once a fleet owner. Add to this the hazards of parking sundry vehicles by the highway without the necessary warning signs on, the recipe is just right for accidents to happen and disasters to occur.
Last year too, a promising politician of the State, Mridul Gogoi died under tragic circumstances in a highway mishap near Sivasagar, when his vehicle rammed into a stationary truck, parked by the highway without any hazard signs on.
Illegal roadside parking, narrow highways and reckless driving with headlight high beam at night are the prime reasons for highway mishaps that has taken the toll of precious human lives in Assam. Lack of proper signages on the Nagaon � Guwahati stretch has also led to innumerable accidents. Incidentally, the Nagaon � Guwahati stretch is being developed to a full four lane highway with service roads on either sides. The only regret is that the work is almost a decade behind schedule.
Says Prabin Phukan, a prominent school teacher here: �Unless we drive in a responsible manner, mishaps are bound to happen. And when the roads are narrow, the chances of accidents and lethal mishaps increase several times over.�
According to a PWD engineer here, the ideal thing to do is to initiate immediate highway widening work on the Nagaon � Dibrugarh section and then extending this upto Jairampur in Tinsukia district. He said the Guwahati � Tinsukia section, with its heavy traffic, will have less accidents only if this portion is four laned with proper median, so that light beams from the opposite direction do not distract drivers.
One can only hope that the loss of the life of a person like Deba Kumar Bora will wake up the Government from its indifference towards a strict, time-bound highway development programme in the State. Without delving into statistics of road mishap caused fatalities and damages, it can be safe to say that a properly divided four lane highway would drastically bring down mishap figures.
Says Utpal Rajkonwar, general manager of a leading private hospital here: �What I feel is that roadside parking of vehicles, unless in an emergency, should be banned along the highways of Assam.� His suggestion stems from the fact that hundreds of highway mishaps have occurred as cruising vehicles have been noticed to run straight into stationary vehicles without the mandatory hazard lights on or hazard reflectors not placed as required for road safety.
Highway side parking has to be permanently banned and strictly enforced in the interest of public safety, feels Pronab Baruah of Tinsukia, who often travels to Guwahati, and has first hand knowledge of the dangers of illegal habit of many. He too feels that a wide median (divider) would add to road safety.
It is under such compelling circumstances that major political parties like the Congress, AGP, BJP, AIUDF, and Trinamool Congress etc and their leaders should re-think their highway development priorities, instead of paying mere lip service to this vital issue, feels those who have to suffer the lack of this most urgent public requirement.
DIBRUGARH, April 19 � The very unfortunate demise of popular political activist Deba Kumar Bora at Kaziranga in the wee hours of March 30 has once again underscored the need for safe highways in the State, with its ever increasing number of vehicles plying round the clock. Also very unfortunate is that none of the major political parties have accorded the required priority to a four/six lane national highway between Guwahati and Jairampur in Tinsukia district.
As long as a very busy highway like NH-37 is two laned remains in its present form, accidents are bound to occur, said Palit Borah of Jorhat, himself a political activist and once a fleet owner. Add to this the hazards of parking sundry vehicles by the highway without the necessary warning signs on, the recipe is just right for accidents to happen and disasters to occur.
Last year too, a promising politician of the State, Mridul Gogoi died under tragic circumstances in a highway mishap near Sivasagar, when his vehicle rammed into a stationary truck, parked by the highway without any hazard signs on.
Illegal roadside parking, narrow highways and reckless driving with headlight high beam at night are the prime reasons for highway mishaps that has taken the toll of precious human lives in Assam. Lack of proper signages on the Nagaon � Guwahati stretch has also led to innumerable accidents. Incidentally, the Nagaon � Guwahati stretch is being developed to a full four lane highway with service roads on either sides. The only regret is that the work is almost a decade behind schedule.
Says Prabin Phukan, a prominent school teacher here: �Unless we drive in a responsible manner, mishaps are bound to happen. And when the roads are narrow, the chances of accidents and lethal mishaps increase several times over.�
According to a PWD engineer here, the ideal thing to do is to initiate immediate highway widening work on the Nagaon � Dibrugarh section and then extending this upto Jairampur in Tinsukia district. He said the Guwahati � Tinsukia section, with its heavy traffic, will have less accidents only if this portion is four laned with proper median, so that light beams from the opposite direction do not distract drivers.
One can only hope that the loss of the life of a person like Deba Kumar Bora will wake up the Government from its indifference towards a strict, time-bound highway development programme in the State. Without delving into statistics of road mishap caused fatalities and damages, it can be safe to say that a properly divided four lane highway would drastically bring down mishap figures.
Says Utpal Rajkonwar, general manager of a leading private hospital here: �What I feel is that roadside parking of vehicles, unless in an emergency, should be banned along the highways of Assam.� His suggestion stems from the fact that hundreds of highway mishaps have occurred as cruising vehicles have been noticed to run straight into stationary vehicles without the mandatory hazard lights on or hazard reflectors not placed as required for road safety.
Highway side parking has to be permanently banned and strictly enforced in the interest of public safety, feels Pronab Baruah of Tinsukia, who often travels to Guwahati, and has first hand knowledge of the dangers of illegal habit of many. He too feels that a wide median (divider) would add to road safety.
It is under such compelling circumstances that major political parties like the Congress, AGP, BJP, AIUDF, and Trinamool Congress etc and their leaders should re-think their highway development priorities, instead of paying mere lip service to this vital issue, feels those who have to suffer the lack of this most urgent public requirement.
