the goan I network
VALPOI
A collision between a truck and a car led to a massive eight-hour traffic jam along the Goa-Belgaum road at Chorla Ghat, sparking off angry reactions from stranded motorists and passengers.
According to reports, a Kerala-registered truck (KL-22-B-1718) travelling from Belgaum to Goa and a Maharashtra-registered car (MH-10-CA-4986) proceeding towards Belgaum collided with each other on the Chorla Ghat at about 8 am.
No one was injured in the mishap, but the two damaged vehicles blocked vehicles on both sides of the road.
Hundreds of vehicles, including KTC and other buses, were held up for several hours and the stranded motorists and passengers struggled to find food and refreshments.
Though teams from the traffic police and Valpoi police reached the site, they were unable to divert the huge queues of vehicles.
Traffic police inspector Deepak Pednekar and his team later made water bottles available to needy motorists and passengers.
Belgaum-bound traffic was later diverted from Dattawadi-Sakhali via Amboli and Tilari Ghat.
Finally, police managed to get a crane from Sakhali to the site and the truck was moved off the road. Traffic was finally restored along the route at about 4 pm.
The mishap and the huge traffic jam prompted angry reactions from motorists, many of whom questioned the absence of emergency facilities like crane services to attend to road mishaps in quick time.
Regular motorists complained that the narrow road has led to a number of mishaps, causing frequent traffic jams along the route.
According to sources, North Goa Collector R Menaka had reportedly directed the PWD to make available two cranes on this road in cases of emergency.
“However, the PWD has not deployed any crane on this road since the last two months. Had a crane been made available to clear the damaged vehicles, motorists on both sides of the road would not have been stranded for seven long hours,” said the source.
Traffic along the Chorla Ghat has increased sharply, after the Goa-Karnataka highway via Anmod Ghat was closed and traffic was diverted via the Chorla Ghat and Amboli Ghat since the past three months.
Mindful of the huge traffic along the narrow Chorla Ghat, the North Goa Collector has directed authorities to prevent heavy vehicles from plying along the Chorla Ghat till further instructions. However, the directives have not been strictly implemented and heavy vehicles continue to travel via the Chorla Ghat route.
Keri Sarpanch Govind Gawas raised strong concerns about the lack of facilities on the Chorla Ghat.
“This road is narrow and the route encounters various obstacles during the rains. Authorities have to take serious steps to provide facilities during emergencies and during the monsoons,” said Gawas.
