Bhubaneswar: Rajya Sabha member from BJD Sasmit Patra on Thursday met Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari and submitted a detailed memorandum, highlighting the alarming spike in fatal accidents along the Khandagiri-Palasuni stretch of National Highway-16 (NH-16) in the Odisha capital.
In his representation, Patra pointed to critical deficiencies in traffic enforcement, surveillance, pedestrian facilities, and overall highway management. “This stretch of NH-16 is among the busiest urban highway corridors in Eastern India and serves as a critical transit route connecting southern Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal. Unfortunately, over the last one year, this corridor has witnessed repeated tragedies involving speeding heavy vehicles, reckless driving, pedestrian fatalities, dangerous traffic bottlenecks, and hazardous cargo incidents,” he wrote.
The BJD MP cited five accidents in the last one year.
1. On May 9, 2026, a speeding truck rammed into two-wheelers on the Fire Station Overbridge, resulting in the death of three persons and leaving another critically injured.
2. On February 7, 2026, a speeding city bus killed a young motorcyclist near Patrapada.
3. On March 13, 2026, a woman pedestrian lost her life in a hit-and-run incident at Aiginia Square.
4. On August 9, 2025, two SUVs engaged in reckless street racing at Patrapada fatally ran over a mother and her minor daughter.
5. On May 28, 2025, an elderly pedestrian was killed after being hit and dragged by a city bus at Khandagiri Square.
“In addition, multiple hazardous incidents including oil spills, truck fires, and LPG carrier overturning have caused severe public danger and massive traffic congestion on this corridor. These recurring incidents clearly indicate systemic deficiencies in traffic enforcement, highway surveillance, pedestrian protection infrastructure, and urban highway management.”
He also proposed a comprehensive set of measures:
• Immediate, comprehensive Road Safety Audit of the entire stretch by a joint expert team comprising NHAI, MoRTH, traffic police, and independent road safety specialists.
• AI-enabled speed detection cameras and and automatic challan systems at all major junctions including Khandagiri, Patrapada, Aiginia, Rasulgarh, and Palasuni
• Deployment of comprehensive CCTV surveillance coverage across the entire corridor with
integrated monitoring by traffic police and highway authorities.
• Installation of average-speed monitoring systems for heavy vehicles and commercial transport carriers.
• Construction of pedestrian foot overbridges and safe crossing systems at accident-prone zones, , especially at Palasuni, Patrapada, and Aiginia.
• Creation of dedicated emergency response lanes and quick-response highway patrol units.
• Introduction of intelligent traffic management systems (ITMS) integrated with real-time monitoring and incident detection.
• Improved signage, reflective lane markings, rumble strips, and enhanced flyover illumination.
“The repeated loss of innocent lives on this corridor has become a matter of grave public concern. Citizens, commuters, students, office-goers, and residents living along this highway deserve urgent protection and modern road safety infrastructure. I sincerely urge the Ministry to treat this matter with utmost priority and direct the concerned authorities including NHAI and local agencies to undertake immediate corrective and preventive measures in the interest of public safety and protection of human life,” the BJD MP added.
This intervention comes amid broader efforts in the region, including NHAI’s clearance of encroachments at Palasuni for new bridges, plans for 6-laning sections, and earlier pedestrian facilities like the foot overbridge at Palasuni. However, locals and commuters continue to press for faster implementation of safety upgrades to curb the “black spot” reputation of the corridor.
