Thiruvananthapuram | Keralam Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Monday wrote to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari seeking a safety review of national highways in the state after eight men from Tamil Nadu were killed in a road accident in Thrissur district.
The accident occurred late on September 4 when a car carrying eight people from Dindigul district, who were students of an engineering college, rammed into the rear of a parked lorry on the highway at Panambikkunnu in Kaipamangalam, Thrissur.
In his letter, the CM urged the union Transport minister to impose strict restrictions on the unscientific and illegal parking of vehicles at national highway construction sites, as well as on other heavy vehicles.
Satheesan expressed hope that the circumstances leading to the accident would be thoroughly investigated, describing the loss of eight young lives as an "unbearable tragedy" for their families.
He said the incident was a "deeply disturbing reminder" of the responsibility of agencies entrusted with the construction and management of national highways.
"I hope that the circumstances leading to this tragic accident will be thoroughly investigated. At the same time, this unfortunate incident raises serious concerns about the overall safety of the NH-66 corridor in Kerala, where extensive widening and construction works are currently underway," the CM said.
He said thousands of people travel every day through temporary diversions, narrowed carriageways, unfinished stretches and construction zones during the NH construction phase, making it imperative to maintain the "highest standards of traffic management and road safety".
"The tragic incident at Thrissur should therefore be seen not merely as an isolated accident but as an opportunity to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the safety arrangements throughout the entire NH-66 corridor in Kerala.
"I would respectfully request you to direct the National Highways Authority of India to conduct an immediate, independent and comprehensive safety review of all stretches of NH-66 where construction is in progress," he said.
Satheesan said the review should examine the adequacy of temporary traffic diversions, road lighting, warning signs, reflective markings, barricades, delineators, crash barriers and other safety arrangements, particularly at locations where traffic is being shifted from the original carriageway.
He urged the authorities to examine how construction and heavy vehicles are parked and regulated within construction zones and whether adequate mechanisms are in place to prevent hazardous or unauthorised parking.
The CM said it was equally important to assess whether contractors and concessionaires were complying with the safety conditions and traffic-management plans prescribed by NHAI and whether the concerned authorities were effectively supervising and monitoring compliance.
"I, therefore, request your good self to personally intervene and direct NHAI to undertake a comprehensive, independent and time-bound safety review of the entire ongoing NH-66 works in Kerala and ensure that immediate corrective measures are taken wherever shortcomings are found," he said in his letter to Gadkari.
