The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Flyover to reduce accidents sought

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Thursday, Jul 12, 2007
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Flyover to reduce accidents sought

Staff Reporter

Utkal University students take out a rally in front of the Assembly

They claim to have given statistics of accidents to MLAs
Threaten to stop vehicular movement on NH 5

BHUBANESWAR: Sixteen accident deaths, including those involving seven students and scores of violent protests in connection with these accidents on a stretch of 500 metres at Vani Vihar Square of the capital city within a year.

This was enough to stir students of Utkal University to take to the streets on Wednesday, this time more on a ‘constructive’ note. Demanding construction of a flyover to reduce accidents, more than 100 students took out a rally before the Assembly. They also claimed to have handed over the statistics of accidents to all legislators intimating the gravity of the situation.

"Vani Vihar is one of the busiest intersections of the city as countless private buses and trucks touch it before making their way to Baramunda bus stand everyday. Not just the students of the university, but also thousands of people live risky moments while passing through the junction," said Manoj Kumar Biswal, president of the university students’ union.

Besides Utkal University, gates of Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education as well as University Law College converge on the Vani Vihar junction, which is treated as the gateway to the heart of the city. Several passenger buses halt here converting it to a mini-bus stand. All this makes it one of the most accident-prone places of the city. "One cannot take precautions all the time. If the crossroads are congested and business interests of private buses are involved, then accidents are bound to take place. That’s why we have suggested a basic solution to the problem," Tapas Sethi, a sixth year student from the university, said. The students squatted on Mahatma Gandhi Marg for one hour to press their one-point demand. The students threatened that if the State Government did not come out with any concrete decision to construct a flyover within one month, they would stop vehicular movement on National Highway 5.

Initially, the State Government had proposed to construct five flyovers including one at Vani Vihar Square to reduce traffic congestion but except two, others did not materialise.

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