The damaged roadside barriers seen on a sharp bend along the Goa-Belgaum Chorla Ghat highway.
Photo Credits: Uday Sawant
VALPOI
The road in Chorla area between Goa and Karnataka has turned accident-prone near the border between the 2 states. The roadside protection fences have been breached and are posing a major threat. For the past two months, the management of the National Highways System has been ignoring this dangerous situation and the possibility of a major accident cannot be ruled out. Due to this, commuters have demanded immediate repairs of the roadside fences.
It is known that the highway through Chorla is the shortest route connecting Goa and Karnataka. This highway sees a lot of traffic every day. Especially for vehicles going to Belgaum areas, this road is of great benefit and a large number of Goans go to Belgaum for wedding shopping and to other markets.
Last year, the Goa government started asphalting the road. This has led to a huge increase in traffic on this road. Although the asphalting of this road has been started at a cost of about Rs 9 crore, the asphalting of this road has not been completed yet. The hotmixing of the road in the area of Keri Jambhali Junction still remains incomplete.
The maintenance of this road from Keri to Goa border needs continuous attention but it is not being taken seriously. This poses a significant risk for vehicles coming to Goa from Belgaum area. Because of the unpredictability of the road at the turn, the possibility of a serious accident is not ruled out. If the driver loses control of the vehicle, the vehicle is likely to crash into a deep ravine.
There have been three consecutive road landslides in the last year during the monsoons. With this in mind, it was necessary for the highway authorities to take measures at least this year. However, measures have yet to be taken to repair thie highway stretch.
