The district police in Tiruvannamalai has given a set of recommendations to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for preventing accidents on Tindivanam-Krishnagiri National Highway 77.
Installation of additional reflector awareness sign boards against overspeed, drunken and rash driving, reduction of narrow bends along the stretch through modern engineering works and providing more road space away from carriageway are among a few recommendations given to NHAI by the district police.
“We have identified accident prone spots on the stretch where engineering works have to be done for safe travel. We will also undertake safety measures from our side,” K. Karthikeyan, SP (Tiruvannamalai), told The Hindu.
Along with officials from NHAI and Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), M.S. Muthusamy, DIG (Vellore range), and Mr. Karthikeyan inspected the Tindivanam - Krishnagiri National Highway 77 to assess safety measures that have to be taken on the stretch. The team found that the two-lane narrow stretch has at least 30 small curves that have to be straightened by engineering works.
The recommendations by the district police came after eight men, including six Assam natives, were killed on the spot after an SUV in which they were travelling collided with a TNSTC bus on the highway 77 at Anthanoor village near Chengam town on Monday. It was the second major accident on the stretch in recent days. On October 15, seven persons, including two children and a woman, died after their car collided with a lorry on the stretch.
Of the total 180 km, 60 km of the Tindivanam-Krishnagiri National Highway 77 comes under Tiruvannamalai district where at least 19 persons have died on the stretch since September 2. Police said overspeed, rash driving and drowsiness were the major reasons for the accidents on the stretch.
On their part, the police said the existing check-posts would be doubled. As most of the travellers are from Puducherry and Bengaluru, special vehicular check points would also be created at every 5 km, especially during weekends and holidays to prevent violations like overspeed, overloading and drunken driving. Road delineators would be installed on the concrete median along the stretch to prevent accidents during night. The police have also procured additional six speed guns to check overspeed.
Meanwhile, Pichesi Murmu, 29, who was one of the injured persons on Monday’s accident, died at the Government Medical College Hospital in Vellore, the police said.
