Ujjain: Despite day-to-day’s fatal road accidents, which have claimed the lives of dozens of people during 2019, concerned authorities have claimed that everything is normal now. Short term improvements, which they have carried out in the backdrop of major incidents to address the problem of ‘black spots’ on different roads, are stated to be the reasons which they now making.
FATAL ACCIDENTS HIT STANDS
Ujjain’s name also topped in the list of major accidents that occurred across the country during the past year. In the beginning of the last year, as many as 12 persons of the same family belonging to Ujjain died on the spot on January 21. This incident occurred on the blind turns and blind curves located on Ujjain-Unhel-Nagda-Jaora Road. Not a month was spared, when major accidents did not taken place on six major roads of the district viz Indore Road, Dewas Road, Maksi Road, Agar Road, Nagda Road and Barnagar Road. One more fatal accident occurred on November 21 on Indore Road, which claimed the lives of two bike-borne trainee patwaris, also hit the stands.
‘REMEDIAL’ TALKS, BUT AFTER MISHAPS
Most of all the said roads fall under BOT (built-operate-transfer) project and the concerned concessionaires recover huge toll tax from the commuters every day, yet the maintenance of these roads remains in doldrums all the time. When major accidents occurred on them and voices of discontent were raised from different quarters of the society, the government machinery suddenly awakened and started listing ‘black spots’ and ‘blind curves’. The same authorities, who had done little with regard to take care of these issues at the time of drawing, designing the projects and acquiring the lands before allotting the contracts, are now showing seriousness.
‘EYEWASH’ IN MEETING
On Thursday evening, a meeting convened at Police Control Room, reviewed the action taken by Road Development Corporation (RDC) and Public Works Department (PWD) to address the existing problems. Collector Shashank Mishra, SP Sachin Atulkar, RTO and various other officials attended the meeting. Concerned engineers submitted evidences with regard to maintenance of the roads.
According to them, short term improvements have been carried out to address the issue of 14 black spots. These spots are located between village Chandesra and Essar Petrol Pump on Ujjain-Dewas Road, at village Panthpiplai on Ujjain-Indore Road, at village Panwasa on Ujjain-Maksi Road, at village Derkhedi on Ujjain-Maksi Road, at village Ramgarh on Ujjain-Jaora Road, between village Dabri towards Power Grid on Ujjain-Jaora Road, between Farnakhedi towards Ramnagar Fanta on Ujjain-Jaora Road, at village Chikli on Ujjain-Badnawar Road, at village Kharsodkhurd on Ujjain-Badnawar Road, between village Piplai Pulia to Panbihar Tiraha on Ujjain-Agar Road, between Palwa Tiraha to Nakoda Petrol Pump on Ujjain-Agar Road, at village Tarana Fanta on Ujjain-Agar Road, at village Ghonsla on Ujjain-Agar Road and at Tapobhumi on Ujjain-Indore Road.
SHORT TERM IMPROVEMENTS DONE
On being contacted, RDC’s divisional manager Ashok Sharma told Free Press that lack of street light arrangements, existence of bushes on either sides of roads, stray cattle menace, encroachments, high speed of vehicles, absence of traffic signals and road markings, cuts on roads, narrowness of roads, blind turns, etc, were the reasons which can be held responsible for road mishaps. According to him, these problems were christened under black spots and short term improvements have been carried out to address them as a whole. Collector told them that a compliance report should be filed in next meeting and before that rest issues should also be sorted out in coordination with all concerned agencies.
BLIND CURVES STILL HOVER AROUND
Mockery of the situation is also that after almost one year, concerned authorities have now come-up with their tall claims that black spot problem was over. However, they are not in a position to say that all issues which lead to accidents have been sorted out. It’s a startling fact that PWD minister Sajjan Singh Verma, who is also district minister in-charge of Ujjain, had given special sanctions after the fatal incident on Ujjain-Jaora Road. Through this fund of Rs 1.83 crore and Rs 1.63 crore two blind curves located at villages Ramgarh and Sodhang on Ujjain-Unhel Road, respectively, were to be removed, but this work is yet not started. During a meeting of the District Planning Committee on June 10 last, the minister had also expressed his displeasure in much delay, but the situation is still the same. When enquired, the RDC officials said that they have now received administrative sanction of the work and tenders will be floated within 2-4 days.
