17 black spots on NH-44 in Karnal

Parveen Arora
Tribune News Service
Karnal, August 29

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Concerned over the increasing accidents and to bring them down, the district administration and road safety associates have identified 17 black spots on a stretch of around 56kms of national highway-44 in the district from Kohand in Gharaunda to Samanabahu in Nilokheri.

As per the guidelines of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways the black spot is a road stretch of about 500 meter in length on which either 5 road accidents, involving fatalities/grievous injuries, or 10 fatalities took place during last three calendar years. The data says as many as 142 fatal and 64 non-fatal accidents have taken place at these 17 black spots in the last three-years. Most of the accidents are of two-wheelers riders. The district authorities have asked the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to rectify them at the earliest, with short term and long term measures, so that the number of the accidents could be brought down.

“We have identified 17 fatal points on the NH-44 where the maximum accidents have taken place in the last three-years. We have also issued directions to the NHAI in the road safety meeting to rectify them,” said Anish Kumar Yadav, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC).

Bridge near Karan Lake, near Kohand, Pakka Pull near Madhuban, Baldi bypass, Namastey Chowk, Manak Majra, Kambohpura, near Arpana Hospital, toll plaza Bastara, PWD Rest House Gharaunda, Chautala Petrol Pump, Sarai Kohand, Rajinder Vaishno Dhaba, Garhi Multan, Liberty Company Gharaunda Gharaunda, Shamgarh, Shani Temple Kohand, Ramba Morh, Gurudwara Tikhana are among the black spots identified by the committee comprising road safety associates and the officials of the police and RTA, he added. The bridges near Karan Lake and Pakka Pull are the worst traffic bottleneck on this stretch, which need long term measures. “We have moved proposals for the widening of bridge on Western Yamuna Canal near Karan Lake and the bridge on augmentation canal near Pakka Pull. We are pursuing them with the ministry,” the ADC said.

Yadav maintained that speed is a major culprit, so they have suggested some speed-breakers on the side-lanes which are further connecting with the main lanes of the NH.

Apart from it, directions have been given to install blinkers, solar-powered cat’s eyes, reflectors, information markers, view cutters, and median-markers at these spots.

Gautam Vishal, Project Director, NHAI, said that they will rectify these black spots.