Despite the fact that the Pune city traffic police submitted a detail report of 20 accident prone area on the 34-km stretch from Katraj to Kivde Phata on Pune-Bangalore highway, to National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), asking them to take the necessary steps and make the highway safe for commuters.
All that NHAI could do was to conduct a joint inspection along with the city traffic police officials in the month of March and promise that they will be closing the open punctures and installing crash barriers which will help to avert any major mishap. However the NHAI has not carried out the work instead they are blaming the citizens for creating open punctures which were closed by them recently.
Moreover the NHAI Project director, Rajesh Kaundal will be carrying out safety inspection of the 34 km accident prone zone along with the traffic police department and local police.
Kaundal said,"After the safety inspection which was carried out two months ago we have closed more than 20 open punctures, however all the punctures were open by the local residents. We will be again carrying out inspection this week and urge the traffic cops to safeguard the area along with the local police so that the closed medians are not open."
Kaundal added,"I have given clear instruction to the reliance infrastructure to take corrective measures needs to be carried out within a months time, such as appropriate retro-reflectors roadways signage marking, installation of raised pavement, closure of median opening and crash barriers to be installed on priority basis."
The Pune Traffic Branch is unhappy over the traffic safety arrangements on Pune-Satara highway and has communicated its dissatisfaction in writing to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) seeking immediate action on the proposed safety measures as more than 130 people have lost their life in the last three years on this stretch.
Deputy commissioner of police (traffic), Vishwas Pandhare, said,"Despite the fact that we have send several letters to the NHAI to take the safety measures on the stretch at the earliest and after we have carried out the safety inspection in November last year, there have been around four accidents wherein six casualties have been reported since then."
Past Incident on Pune-Satara killer highway
March 20,2014
The truck carrying metal plates weighing over 25 tonnes hit seven bikes and a tempoon Vadgaon bridge at Narhe on Thursday afternoon. (Pavan Khengre)In the third major accident on a patch of road on Pune-Bangalore highway bypass at Narhe in the past one week, three persons were killed and two injured on Thursday afternoon after a truck driver lost control of the vehicle and hit seven bikes and one tempo. The driver Ajitkumar Yadav has been arrested.
February 03, 2014
10 persons were killed and 35 others injured on Monday night when a tourist bus going to Gujaratfell off a bridge on the Pune-Satara road near the Khambatki Ghat.
On January 13 204
Nine people were killed and three others injured when a heavy commercial vehicle fell on a tempo cruiser at Khambatki ghat on the Pune-Satara highway stretch. The heavy commercial vehicle and the cruiser were both headed towards Pune. The heavy commercial vehicle was trying to overtake the cruiser. The mishap took place at the dangerous S-turn after the Khambatki tunnel.
November 02,2013
Four young ad professionals from Pune met in a tragic death when their car plunged in the Neera Bridge, about 75kms from the city as the bridge did not had crash barrier due to which the car in which they were traveling plunged into the river.
June, 06, 2013
A 30-year-old woman and her child were swept away by the gushing waters at Shindewadi near the Katraj tunnel. Rampant constructions on the hills, poor drainage system and equally poor traffic regulation had caused obstruction on the stretch on the day of the accident.
BOX :II
Killer road Mishaps on the 34 km stretch form Katraj to Kivde Phata
Fatal accidents
Pedestrians: 45
Two-wheelers: 60
Three-wheelers: 2
Four-wheelers: 20
Serious accidents
Pedestrians: 17
Two-wheelers: 30
Three-wheelers:2
Four-wheelers: 20
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