Goemkarponn desk
CANACONA: Killar to Pangi road in Kashmir may be termed as the world’s beadiest and dangerous road but the road from Gulem in Canacona to Balli in Quepem has in recent times attained notoriety as the best of the drivers find this stretch difficult to manoeuvre and more often than not meet with accidents.
This stretch of road which is part of the bigger NH66 road linking Panvel in Mumbai to Kanyakumri in Tamil Nadu is narrow, without shoulders, missing signboards, sunken stretches and damaged portions, it’s a perfect cocktail which is the main cause for frequent accidents, regular commuters on this road complain.
Since last two weeks this road stretch which is barely 15km is witnessing mishaps every day sometimes obstructing free flow of traffic enroute.
Commuters had a harrowing time when a multi-axle truck carrying commercial goods broke down on the middle of the road on Karmalghat on Tuesday evening disrupting smooth movement of traffic for almost a day.
Sources informed that the truck broke down on Tuesday evening and lay there unmoved till Tuesday noon.
Police diverted some of the traffic through the narrow single road via Agonda which is more dangerous than the NH66 road itself.
On Tuesday morning, the office goers were caught unaware as they got stranded as only light vehicles were able to pass through, the traffic police who were at the spot had a harrowing time in managing the morning rush hour traffic.
The vehicles were seen lined up for two kms on either side till the truck was moved after the mechanics managed to start the truck.
To make matters worse another multi-axle truck got stuck on the shoulders on the wrong side little away from where the truck had broken down.
Anil Bhagat a vocal local who stays just beside this stretch of road informed that these mishaps is a regular phenomenon and every time they hear some thud sound they have to rush with drinking water for the accident victims.
Most of the NH66 road passing through Goa has seen widening but the road from Cuncolim to Gulem is left untouched for decades informed Bhagat.
There are no shoulders, no sign boards, unscientific speed breakers, blind curves, vegetation blocking the clear view of the road ahead, washed out bitumen layer and sunken portions which is responsible for frequent mishaps informed Bhagat.
Enquiries with the PWD officials revealed that the portion from Gulem to Balli was 
with Margao division and since this year the Canacona PWD division looks after it.
Earlier the road from Gulem to Balli was in no man’s land now also its same, some one has to sue the PWD officials for negligence in maintaining this road else they will never wake up from their deep slumber said Diogo Da’ Silva a social activist from Canacona.
“This 15km stretch is just like no one’s baby, it is beyond anybodies imagination why the PWD can’t manage this road properly, the quality of work and workmanship is poor and the road is narrow which causes untold misery to the commuters incase of accidents” Da’ Silva lamented.
Sources informed that the PWD has failed to widen the road on blind curves and the traffic cell has failed to advice the administration to keep a crane on standby for such eventualities informed a car driver stuck at Karmalghat, and till the road remains the way it is the commuters will be made to suffer.
