Goemkarponn desk
PONDA: Finally, as assured to the Locals, the National Highways Authority of India has begun road widening work on the Kundaim bypass.
The Locals of Kundaim had launched an agitation on 1 May by stopping the NH traffic passing from Kundaim Manaswada, demanding to divert it through the Kundaim bypass.
The locals had staged agitation following the horrific accident on 31 April wherein a container truck was overturned at Manaswada Junction, damaging two cars and four bikes, and several people at the spot were injured.
There was a tense situation following the accident, and the irked villagers worried, fearing that it would also claim their lives if the accident continued.
The next day, on 1 May, locals came on the road and blocked it for NH traffic for a week demanding to divert heavy traffic from the Kundaim bypass.
Following this, the NH officials, Ponda Mamlatdar, discussed with locals, including Kundaim Sarpanch and urged them to clear road blockades.
The NHAI officials had assured locals to give some time to widen the narrow Bypass, and the Bypass would be two-way.
They had assured to widen the Kundaim bypass by the 25 May deadline and also fulfilled a promise to start widening work on Bypass.
Kundaim Sarpanch Survesh Gaude welcomed the development and said it was essential for locals’ safety. He, along with locals, said officials should expedite work and divert heavy traffic from Bypass so that Manaswada road could be used as a service road for people and provide safety to Villagers.
It may be recalled that for long locals wanted Manaswada one-way road as a service road for their safety due to several accidents that occurred in Past, including many fatal accidents.
The recent was in February this year when in a horrific accident, a truck rammed into the shop at Manaswada Junction, and one person in the shop was killed while several were injured.
Since then, and on many earlier occasions, locals have urged the Government to divert heavy traffic from Bypass.
However, they were still waiting for a response. But when another horrific accident was reported in April, the locals took the law in hand and blocked Manaswada road to prevent accidents and save people’s lives.
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