Demand to augment safety of road users on NH Bypass
The Hindu
Missing signboards, traffic hold-ups, ill-maintained service roads add to commuters’ woes
Inadequate, missing and misplaced signboards, traffic hold-ups at Vyttila and Kundannoor junctions even after the commissioning of six-lane flyovers, shoddily-maintained service roads and issues related to toll collection have compounded the woes of commuters along the Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass. The complaint is rife that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) which owns the 16-km corridor and an agency that collects toll and is duty bound to maintain it are seldom responsive to grievances raised by people’s representatives and others. “Accidents often happen at U-turns and at points where vehicles enter NH Bypass from side roads, since signboards are missing at many locations on the corridor. Even worse, the NHAI and the operation, maintenance, tolling (OMT) contracting firm to which it has entrusted upkeep of the stretch have not bothered to install boards warning speeding motorists of pedestrian crossings,” said sources in City Traffic Police.The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.