NHAI yet to take steps to solve ‘illegal’ parking on highways

Though MP Abhishek Banerjee is recuperating fast from his injuries, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is yet to take steps to solve the problem of ‘illegal’ parking on national highways.

Banerjee had received severe injuries in an accident on NH-2 last month near Singur after his vehicle hit a milk-van parked illegally along the road.

The illegal parking of vehicles including the heavy trucks is still continuing along NH-2 even a month after the state government had urged the NHAI to take necessary steps to check the menace that often leads to accident. A row of vehicles were found parked along the National Highway starting from ahead of Dankuni and it was found even at Singur near the spot where Banerjee’s accident took place.

In a bid to create awareness among drivers, the state government had put up “Safe Drive, Save Life” banners at regular intervals on NH-2. But lack of surveillance has turned the entire effort into a futile exercise. The situation is so bad that in several areas, unauthorised parked long chassis trucks have covered the posters. The vehicles are suppose to be parked on “parking bays” that run parallel to the main thoroughfare. 

A section of drivers choose to park their vehicles on the main thoroughfare instead taking the pain of entering the “parking bays”. A driver of a truck was found repairing the vehicle on the main thoroughfare of the Kolkata-bound flank of the NH-2 on Wednesday afternoon at around 2.30 pm. The spot where the vehicle was getting repaired was barely 12 to 15 km from Dankuni toll plaza towards Singur. 

After few minutes, a wrecker van was found stationary while passing through the toll plaza. But the vehicle was not removed to parking bays from the main thoroughfare. As a result, two-wheelers at a speed of around 50 to 60 km per hour needed to slow down after suddenly finding the truck there getting repaired and take a look whether any vehicle was approaching from behind before crossing it.

When contacted, Manoj Kumar Verma, IG (Traffic), said a study has been conducted and suggested steps have been sent to the NHAI authorities. “We have found 43 black spots on the National Highways in the state and suggested the necessary rectifications are needed to check accidents. Besides these spots, each district had prepared a list containing accident prone zones on the National Highways. The lists were also sent to NHAI. But we are yet to get any reply in this regard,” he said adding that they are ready to provide any support to NHAI.

It may be mentioned that the state government had suggested steps like putting up of more sign and cautionary boards and to rectify if view at any place gets obstructed. An official of NHAI said that one should not call this illegal parking. Instead, it is nothing but compulsion of drivers to park the vehicles along the road as police didn’t allow vehicles to enter the city after a certain point of time. He claimed that they have ambulances and wrecker vans. He, refused to comment when asked whether any steps have been taken after the state government had send the list containing accident prone zones on National Highways in the state.