The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Virtual death trap on NH 7

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Saturday, Mar 08, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Virtual death trap on NH 7

S. Harpal Singh

6 km road near Gudihatnoor village

Turbulent route: Vehicles plying on the gravelled portion of the NH 7 near Gudihatnoor village kick up a storm of dust.

ADILABAD: Mysterious are the ways of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Adilabad district that appears to be content with work by half measures. Going by the initiative it has taken to get the existing NH 7 fit for smooth flow of the heavy traffic, this seems to be the only reasonable summation.

A stretch of about 6 kms of the highway between Gudihatnoor and Borgaon crossing has half the carriageway done in gravel. The gravel part, that is actually an extension on one side of the existing road, is a potential death trap. Vehicles that ply on the gravelled area kick up enormous clouds of dust. Needless to say, the pall of dust can prove to be fatal for road users, especially those who travel on two wheelers. The road needs to be black-topped urgently.

Road safety

During the recent review of road safety, NHAI officials and the engineers of independent consultants did not even acknowledge that the NH 7 is in bad shape and needs repairs. It was only under pressure from the district administration that repair work has been initiated near Seetagondi village where true to form, some bits in between have been left without repairs

The entire stretch of 111 kms of the NH 7 does not have proper road berm or road shoulder that causes grave loss to property. The road itself needs repairs badly between Penganga river bridge on AP-Maharashtra border until Bhoraj check post and from Mavala forest nursery to beyond forest centenary park.

There is a fairly longish bad patch of the road passing through Gudihatnoor mandal head quarters village. The gravelled road starts where this bad patch ends only to lead up to another bad patch about three kms ahead of Ichoda mandal head quarters and stretching up to about 4 kms..

Further, the road should be patched up from Kupti ghat till Boath crossing. The bad patches on the highway at Gowliguda and Mahabub ghats have already been repaired.

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Andhra Pradesh