Baripada: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Orissa High Court over the bad shape of the Dwarasuni ghat road on National Highway-49 connecting Bangiriposhi with Bisoi in Mayurbhanj district, sources said Thursday. Kalinga Keshari Jena, founder of Bhanja Sena, a local outfit, has filed this PIL (WPC 47993/24) in the high court.
In his petition, the litigant has alleged that travelling on the 17-km stretch of Dwarasuni ghat on NH-49 in Mayurbhanj district, which connects Odisha with West Bengal and Jharkhand, has become a risky proposition for commuters. Large potholes and the uneven and narrow shape of the ghat road have turned the stretch of highway into a deathtrap for commuters. The petition might come up for hearing next week, his advocate Akash Sharma said. Thousands of vehicles ply on this road daily but the unsafe road condition has led to frequent loss of life and properties on the stretch.
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Several lives have been lost to many small and big accidents that the road witnesses all around the year. The petitioner has alleged that 35 persons have died in 152 road accidents on the said stretch so far this year. Residents have been demanding expansion of the road to make it safe for travel but the concerned officials of the Centre and the state governments are not taking any steps in this regard. Jena in his petition has prayed before the high court to direct the authorities to take necessary steps. He has prayed to complete the expansion and repair of the highway in advance including filling up all the potholes and craters, making the road flat and even, and installing reflector lights on the road. He also sought the installation of warning signs and speed control barricades on the ghat road, ensuring proper security arrangements by the administration and establishment of a mechanism for repair works which take a long time. He mentioned in his petition that despite blasting of the hill was allowed, expansion of the highway has been delayed. He has also submitted all photographs, videos and newspaper cuttings related to risky commuting on the highway.