PM Modi Likely To Lay Stone For Expansion Of ‘Killer Stretch’ In Odisha Next Month

Bhubaneswar: Repair and expansion of the damaged stretch of accident-prone Bangiriposi ghat road in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district will begin soon with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to lay the foundation stone in February, Union Minister Bishweswar Tudu informed on Thursday.

“The tender for the expansion project with an outlay of Rs 250 crore has almost been completed. PM Modi has been invited to lay the project’s foundation stone in February. It is likely to take place after Makar Sankranti,” he said.

The 17 km stretch of Dwarsuni ghat on NH-49 has turned into a death trap due to its poor condition and narrowness. Despite public demand for widening, and improved safety measures, the NHAI has only undertaken minor repairs, leaving the road prone to accidents. On Thursday, a tanker collided with a tea packet-carrying container on NH-49 at Bangiriposi’s Dwarsuni ghat, leaving drivers of both the vehicles dead. In October last year, two women of a family were killed and five others were grievously injured when the car they were travelling in got crushed between two trucks on the national highway stretch.

A survey conducted by Mayurbhanj Regional Transport Office (RTO) revealed that vehicles struggled while navigating the curves of the narrow ghat road and brake fail was the main reason behind frequent mishaps along the stretch. Big potholes, absence of signage and reflective tapes, damaged crash barriers also contributed to fatal accidents, it said.

The stretch on NH-49 has witnessed 160 accidents in the last two years, which claimed around 40 lives and left over 200 commuters critically injured or maimed.