VALPOI
Traffic along the Chorla Ghat came to a grinding halt after a cargo truck turned turtle leading to an over 5-hour traffic jam on Sunday.
The incident occurred at around 8.30 am after a loaded cargo truck heading to Karnataka from Goa skidded and overturned along the road blocking access to hundreds of vehicles on both sides.
According to information, the loaded cargo truck from Goa was heading to Karnataka when the driver lost control after the vehicle skidded at a sharp turn and plunged to the side of the road just a short distance from Anjunem Dam project.
The local police immediately rushed to the spot on getting information and managed to control the traffic. However, normal traffic was restored only after 1.30 pm leaving motorists stranded for almost five hours.
The Chorla route normally faces a rush on Sundays with a large number of Goans heading to Belagavi for shopping. Apart from this, a large number of tourist vehicles also criss-cross the route.
Sources said that over 200 vehicles from Karnataka heading to Goa were stuck around the accident site while around 150 vehicles proceeding to Belagavi from Goa were stranded on the other side.
The incident sparked angry reactions from stranded motorists and passengers who slammed the government for not strictly implementing the ban order on heavy vehicles along the Chorla route.
It may be recalled that mindful of the huge traffic along the narrow Chorla Ghat, the North Goa Collector had directed authorities to prevent heavy vehicles from plying till further instructions. However, the directives have not been strictly implemented and heavy vehicles continue to ply via the Chorla route.
A large number of vehicles pass through the Chorla ghat as it is a short distance to Belagavi. Also the Anmod route is currently closed for traffic leading to a heavy rush along the Chorla route.
