Illegal roads on NH 34 to be closed to prevent accidents

Raiganj: In a decisive move to prevent road accidents, officials from Itahar Block, in collaboration with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), have resolved to close down 12 illegal roads created by locals along the median of National Highway 34 (NH-34) in the North Dinajpur district. These unauthorised access points, cutting through the divider, have been identified as significant contributors to frequent traffic accidents.

Dibyendu Sarkar, Block Development Officer (BDO) of Itahar, along with Sukumar Ghosh, Inspector-in-Charge (IC) of Itahar Police Station and Ambrish Misra, Project Officer of the Malda Zone of NHAI, conducted a joint inspection on Thursday. Covering a 30-kilometre stretch from Durgapur to Checkpost, they identified the illegal openings and agreed to take immediate action to block them.

The NH-34 stretch through Itahar is a major corridor for high-speed traffic, with thousands of heavy vehicles passing daily. However, locals have created these unauthorised roads to access the highway, posing severe risks to themselves and others. Motorbikes, e-rickshaws, auto-rickshaws and trekkers frequently use these illegal paths, leading to numerous accidents, some of which have resulted in fatalities.Traffic police have struggled to control the situation, especially near schools situated along these illegal routes. Students navigating these areas are at high risk, raising serious safety concerns.

BDO Dibyendu Sarkar remarked: “We have found 12 illegal roads where dividers were cut for easy access, but these have led to daily accidents, sometimes fatal. We have urged NHAI to reconstruct the dividers immediately and met with locals to raise awareness about road safety. The move aims to ensure safer travel for all and reduce the growing number of accidents on NH-34