Goemkarponn desk
PONDA: The bypass road, which is converted into four lanes, has become an accident-prone zone due to haphazard parking by trucks.
Locals say the truckers use the side of this bypass for parking for long hours.
According to local Sandeep Parkar, the trucks are one of reasons for accidents on this road.
“The three bypass roads, namely Curti – Ponda, Bethora – Borim and Dhavlim Farmagudi, constructed by the government two decades ago to divert the NH traffic, have become accident-prone zones due to truck parking on both sides of the road,” he said.
Parker says the truck parking poses risk lives of local vehicles and other traffic; the citizens have been demanding truck terminus for the past decade.
He said there are no industries at Curti Khandepar Panchayat, but still, the trucks are parked.
Similarly, he said, truck parking is done on Bethora and Dhavlim Farmagudi road.
“Dhavlim Farmagudi is dangerous and accident-prone due to sharp turns, and further, it has become more hazardous due to parking on sharp turns. The issue of dangerous truck parking often dominated in Kavlem Panchayat gram sabha as also in Curti Khandepar Panchayat and even in Bethora Panchayat, but so far, no solution or truck terminus has been built to solve the issue.,” he said
He said that since it is a need for industries, the government should look into it.
According to Sandeep Parkar government should either provide truck terminus or provide space to them at Kundaim, Marcaim and Bethora industrial estate so that the public is not inconvenienced.
He said the truck parked on the road often suddenly comes on the main road from their parking area and may invite major mishaps therefore, there should be either truck terminus or parking spaces provided at industrial estates.
One Sameer Naik said that due to transport offices at bypass road, the truckers from outside Goa often wait near them for return trips of loaded material towards their native place.
Sometimes it takes one week to get a return trip, and thus truck parking increases on roads.
“Truck parking by the side of four-lane road dangerously obstructing and blocking the view of vehicles coming from opposite sides of the road,” he said.
The locals have even raised the issue in Curti- Khandepar gram sabha demanding with traffic department to clear the truck parking at Curti. As there is no action coming from authorities, locals fear that if truck parking is not cleared, it may lead to fatal accidents.
“It may be recalled that in the absence of truck terminus, the trucks coming other states for transportation of industrial raw material and goods to Goa are facing parking problem. Despite no sufficient space on four lanes widened road, the truckers are illegally parking their vehicles at the side of the road as there are no parking spaces of the truck terminus at Ponda. But according to locals, this might invite fatal accidents to them,” he said.