Demand for widening bypass road gets louder

While five of the survivors of the ghastly accident on the Hubballi-Dharwad Bypass Road continue to battle for life in various hospitals in Hubballi and Bengaluru, the voice for widening the bypass road is getting louder day by day with various organisations petitioning the government in this regard. As per the data available, the 30-kilometre bypass road between Narendra Cross in Dharwad and Gabbur Cross in Hubballi has witnessed 422 accidents (major and minor) resulting in the death of 164 persons in the past one decade. These accidents also have left 645 persons injured. In 2020, the bypass road witnessed 33 road accidents killing 16 persons and injuring 55. And, in the first month of the year, 11 persons have lost their lives and five are battling for life in hospitals.