NT Reporter
Canacona
A 28-year-old youth Melari Boviwabar, a native of Yellapur in North Karnataka, died in the early hours of the first day of the New Year after allegedly losing control of his bike and ramming into a divider near Talpona bridge. Boviwabar, who was proceeding from Canacona to Pollem, succumbed to injuries while being shifted to Community Health
Centre, Canacona.
This latest accident on the 7-km, four-lane Manohar Parrikar bypass at Canacona, constructed to reduce travel time between Char Rasta and Mashem by half an hour, is instead cutting lives short due to poor road engineering and a roller-coaster design, alleged locals.
The stretch, inaugurated in 2019, has witnessed frequent mishaps, many of them fatal.
“Apart from imposing speed restrictions, authorities have done very little to ensure the safety and security of lives and property on this road,” alleged councillor of Canacona Municipal Council Shubham Komarpant. He also alleged that traffic police personnel position themselves at three locations on sharp turns, creating hazardous situations for commuters. He alleged that they jump in front of oncoming vehicles, endangering both their own lives and those of commuters. Komarpant said that unless authorities are taken to court for dereliction of duty, the public will continue to suffer.
