Chennai: Residents of Singaperumalkoil say they are forced to take detours because direct access to Grand Southern Trunk (GST) Road has been blocked by concrete bollards.As a result, those travelling to hospitals, schools, bus stops and shops on the other side of the road are forced to take a 1.5km detour.
To avoid this, many motorists, particularly bikers, tend to drive on the wrong side leading to accidents, said G Ganesh, a resident-activist from Singaperumalkoil.“For more than two years, several streetlights along this busy national highway, connecting Chennai with Trichy, have remained dysfunctional. Despite several people losing their lives and getting injured in accidents reported after six in the evening, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been a mute spectator,” said Ganesh.
Corroborating this, official data suggests that the portion of NH-45 between Tambaram and Chengalpet is one of the most accident-prone highway stretches in the country. Every year, around 100 road accident fatalities were reported on this 33km stretch.The concrete structures had been installed five years ago when NHAI began widening the stretch between Tambaram and Chengalpet into an eight-lane road.
Now that the expansion work is complete, Singaperumalkoil residents have urged the government to remove these barricades and restore traffic movement. They have urged Chengalpet police to convert the intersection into a traffic-controlled junction.Traffic police, however, say that adding more signalled-junctions on the national highway will affect traffic flow and result in congestion during peak hours or festival weekends when thousands of vehicles leave the city. However, cops have planned to take up the issue with the district collector in a meeting scheduled this week as NHAI has been objecting to the proposal.
highways has risen to 9.1%, with 3,420 more accident deaths in 2022 compared to 2019. The state reported 54,432 accidents last year, accounting for 11.8% of all accidents in the country. Over-speeding is the major reason behind the rise in accidents and fatalities. Despite the high number of accidents, the ‘severity’ in Madhya Pradesh is lower than the national average.
Alarming surge in road accidents: West Bengal grapples with rising fatalities
West Bengal witnessed a 14.65% increase in road crashes and a 3.48% rise in road crash fatalities. Speeding is the leading culprit behind the rising fatalities. Between 2019 and 2022, the state experienced an 8.12% increase in road crashes and a 4.07% rise in road crash fatalities. Shockingly, 34.07% of the road crash fatalities during this period were attributed to speeding. To combat the menace of speeding, strict adherence to speed limits and enhanced enforcement is crucial. Interventions related to enforcement, technological advancements, and road design are imperative to minimize accidents.
Secularism has been a tool for nation-building
Former solicitor general of India, Ranjit Kumar, stated that secularism in the country has played a crucial role in nation-building after the success of the anti-colonial movement. The secular nature of the Indian State, as promised in the Constitution, holds higher moral appeal compared to neighboring countries. Kumar emphasized that the Indian Constitution, which has been in effect since 1950, aims to limit governmental discretion and upholds constitutional rights through judicial review. He defended judicial activism as necessary to preserve the rule of law and judicial independence. The lecture was attended by law administrators, students, and advocates.
Source: The Times of India
