Karnataka   

A death trap for motorists

Staff Correspondent

Contract to build NH 4 terminated some months ago

In limbo: A stretch of Chitradurga-Harihar road yet to be asphalted.

DAVANGERE: Travelling between Chitradurga and Harihar will be a horrifying experience for motorists as the National Highway 4 is in a pathetic state.

Going by the statistics, 200 people died and 1,000 were injured in accidents on the highway last year. The road is full of potholes and undulations, and connecting ramps are in bad condition at many places. There is no signboard indicating road deviations and road crossings on this highway which has become a death trap. Vehicle-breakdown is a common scene on the highway as many of them develop problems after passing the potholes.

The previous Union Government commenced work on the ambitious Golden Quadrilateral Project to build 5,846 km of four/six-lane express highways connecting major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai at a cost of Rs. 60,000 crore.

The Essar company was given contract to build the highway between Chitradurga and Kumarapatnam. The company, which started work, was unable to complete it on time. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which extended the deadline given to the company twice, terminated the contract some months ago.

Shivaram, project director of the Essar company, blamed NHAI for the bad condition of the highway.

He said NHAI, which promised to get land to construct the road did not keep it. Apart from this, the alignment of the road had been changed many times as people had sought underpasses, overpasses and bridges for better access to their villages along the highway.

He said NHAI gave two extensions to the company to complete the work without giving land on time. More over, the Government did not give the company a letter extending the contract as a result, the banks refused financial support.

He claimed that the company had incurred a loss of Rs. 150 crore after taking up the project. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner M.B. Dyaberi has instructed RTO H.J. Thembad to direct NHAI to put up signboards and take up other steps to prevent accidents on the highway.

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