CANACONA
A 30-year-old woman, pillion riding on a KTM motorbike hit her head against a roadside electricity pole and died after the 2-wheeler skidded off the fish water spillage on NH-66 at Maxem-Loliem in Canacona on Sunday.
According to Canacona Police, the motorbike (GA-06 AC-5351) coming from Verna was heading towards Karwar, when it skidded off the road and got dragged for over 25 metres before hitting the pole at the Dapot plateau in Maxem. Due to the impact both the rider and pillion rider fell off the motorbike and the woman hit her head against the pole.
She was immediately rushed to Canacona Community Health Centre but was declared brought dead, police sources informed. The rider was lucky as he was wearing a helmet and suffered minor injuries. He was later discharged after first aid at Canacona CHC.
Police identified the woman as Divya Naik a resident of Ankola-Karnataka while Rohit Patil, also a Karnataka native, was riding the motorbike.
Canacona police after conducting the panchanama, shifted the body of Divya to SGDH Margao. PSI Ajit Velip is investigating the case under the supervision of Canacona PI Harish Raut Dessai.
According to locals, the one-way stretch of NH-66 was full of fish water spillage when the mishap occurred at about 11.30 am.
An eyewitness said, just half an hour before the accident, a local youth also fell on the road and suffered head injuries after his scooter skidded off the fish water.
Residents, highlighting the careless handling of fish transportation, have expressed concerns about unchecked spillages of fish water on roads, citing them as major contributors to accidents involving two-wheelers, especially on NH-66.
Residents also raised questions about the positioning of electricity poles mere half a meter from the border of NH66 road. They point out that road guidelines recommend a clearance of at least 5-10 meters on either side of highway roads to be free from obstructions.
