Thiruvanathapuram, 07 സെപ്റ്റംബര്‍ (H.S.)

തൃശ്ശൂർ കൈപ്പമംഗലം വാഹനാപകടത്തിൽ എട്ട് വിദ്യാർത്ഥികൾ മരിച്ച സംഭവത്തിൻ്റെ പശ്ചാത്തലത്തിൽ കേരളത്തിലെ ദേശീയപാതയുടെ സുരക്ഷ പരിശോധിക്കണമെന്ന് ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ട് കേന്ദ്ര ഉപരിതല ഗതാഗത വകുപ്പ് മന്ത്രി നിതിൻ ​ഗഡ്​കരിക്ക് മുഖ്യമന്ത്രി വി.ഡി സതീശൻ കത്തു നൽകി.

ദേശീയപാത നിർമ്മാണ മേഖലയിൽ എത്തുന്ന വാഹനങ്ങളുടെയും മറ്റ് ഭാരവാഹനങ്ങളുടെയും അശാസ്ത്രീയവും നിയമവിരുദ്ധവുമായ പാർക്കിംഗ് തടയുന്നതിന് കർശന നിയന്ത്രണം ഏർപ്പെടുത്തണമെന്നും മുഖ്യമന്ത്രി കത്തിൽ ആവശ്യപ്പെട്ടു.

കത്ത് പൂർണ രൂപത്തിൽ;

I am writing to you with a deep sense of sorrow following the tragic accident at Kaipamangalam in Thrissur, in which eight young students lost their lives in a collision involving a truck on the ongoing NH-66 construction stretch.

The loss of eight young lives is an unbearable tragedy for their families and a deeply disturbing reminder of the responsibility that rests on all agencies entrusted with the construction and management of our national highways.I hope that the circumstances leading to this tragic accident will be thoroughly investigated.

At the same time, this unfortunate incident raises serious concerns about the overall safety of the NH-66 corridor in Keralam, where extensive widening and construction works are currently underway. NH-66 is one of the most important infrastructure projects undertaken in Keralam and, when completed, will transform connectivity and contribute significantly to the State's economic development. However, during the construction phase, thousands of people are compelled to travel every day through temporary diversions, narrowed carriageways, unfinished stretches and construction zones. These circumstances require the highest standards of traffic management and road safety.

The tragic incident at Thrissur should therefore be seen not merely as an isolated accident but as an opportunity to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the safety arrangements throughout the entire NH-66 corridor in Keralam. I would respectfully request you to direct the National Highways Authority of India to conduct an immediate, independent and comprehensive safety review of all stretches of NH-66 where construction is in progress.

Such a review should examine the adequacy of temporary traffic diversions, road lighting, warning signs, reflective markings, barricades, delineators, crash barriers and other safety arrangements, particularly at locations where traffic is being shifted from the original carriageway. It should also examine the manner in which construction vehicles and heavy vehicles are parked and regulated within construction zones and whether adequate mechanisms are in place to prevent hazardous or unauthorised parking.

Equally important is an assessment of whether contractors and concessionaires are strictly complying with the safety conditions and traffic-management plans prescribed by NHAI and whether effective supervision and monitoring are being carried out by the concerned authorities.

I therefore request your good self to personally intervene and direct NHAI to undertake a comprehensive, independent and time-bound safety review of the entire ongoing NH-66 works in Keralam and to ensure that immediate corrective measures are taken wherever shortcomings are found.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sreejith S