Visakhapatnam: Unauthorised parking of heavy vehicles on National Highway stretch has been claiming the lives of motorists in Vizag region.
Despite several appeals from traffic police and other departments, NHAI has not set up any new truck parking bays on the NHs in the region. Several motorists have died when their vehicles rammed into the stationary vehicles on the NH-16 stretch.
The cops and Road Transport Authority have decided to bring the issue before Union minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari during the national workshop on road safety in Vizag on August 19 on 20.
Recently two youngsters Suresh, 21 and Sunny Dung, 14 died on the and one more person M. Sravan Kumar, 26, was critically injured when their motorbike in which the trio was travelling hit a stationary lorry on NH-16 near Pelugollu Junction under S. Rayavaram police station limits in Vizag district.
The police said that the lorry driver was responsible for the fatal accident as he had parked the vehicle on the busiest NH-16 stretch without observing the basic rules such as switching on the indicators (lights) and precautions.
Illegal parked vehicles on NH-16 stretch between Vijayawada and Srikakulam become death traps at night, particularly in winter seasons with a huge number of mishaps involving such violations and claiming unaccounted lives.
“”Though we wrote a letter to NHAI authorities to increase the truck parking bays and rest rooms for drivers on the NH-16 stretch, there is no communication from the NHAI,” says ADCP (Traffic) K. Mahendra Patrudu.
“There were around 300 cases against illegally parked vehicles on highways this year and we suggested truckers to either keep the parking lights switched on or affix radium stickers, but majority of the truckers have been violating the traffic norms and causing fatal accidents,” he added.
Road Transport Authority (RTA) officials said that various eating places and illegal liquor joints on the highways were using the roads for parking the heavy vehicles at many areas. Despite our drives against illegal parking, truckers continue to flout norms citing that there are truck parking bays on the stretch.
There is urgent need to increase the number of truck parking bays and set up motels to mitigate the illegal parking and accidents on the highways," added RTA officials.
Sources said that NHAI has been delaying setting up new truck parking bays citing land hurdles and few other issues.
