AUTHORITIES FAIL TO ACT AGAINST VEHICLES PARKED ALONG ACCIDENT-PRONE ROAD
Heavy duty inter-state trucks found parked at the accident prone Panzorconne stretch of the National Highway-66 at Cuncolim.
MARGAO
It’s now over two decades since the controversial truck terminus proposed at Margao has been down and out following public outcry against the project.
Welcome to the National Highway 66, between Navelim and Cuncolim, as the stretch has turned into a mini truck terminus for the inter-state outstation trucks, right under the nose of the authorities, be it the Highways, Traffic police and the Transport department.
During a drive down the NH66 from Navelim to Cuncolim, one would reveal heavy duty trucks parked all along the highway side, right from Fradilem in Navelim and Dandeavaddo in Chinchinim village, and not to mention Panzorconne-Cuncolim near the now defunct NUSI hospital.
Sources say the trucks make an overnighter along the stretch of the highway either to halt for tea and food, and to also procure liqour from the outlets dotting the highway. Questions, however, are being raised why the authorities have still not moved against the inter-state trucks when these three stretches have still not being declared as parking lots.
Consider this. Heavy duty trucks are virtually found parked along the accident-prone zone from the NUSI hospital, Panzorconne at the petrol pump down on the slope towards the Uskiniarik stretch. That this stretch of the highway has been an accident-prone zone has so far not spurred the Cuncolim police, nor the Traffic police or the RTO to tackle the illegal truck parking.
It’s not uncommon to find motorists traveling on the NH66 from Cuncolim towards Margao to complain of visibility issue on the Panzorconne slope due to the parking of heavy duty vehicles on both sides of the highway.
In the past, Cuncolim citizens and consumer rights activists had hit the roads to protest against the parking of heavy duty trucks at Panzorconne stretch of the NH66, but in vain. In fact, the authorities had moved in to stop the vehicles from parking along the stretch, but parking returned back on the highway after some days.
Parking of heavy duty trucks along the NH66 stretch at Dandeavaddo traffic junction, more so, near the Sarzora road heading towards the Church, has raised its ugly head only recently. In fact, heavy duty trucks have been found parking on both sides of the highway in violation of the parking norms.
Interestingly, parking has not stopped near the Dandeavaddo junction even when the South Goa district Magistrate, Asvin Chandru has issued a notification banning vehicles from parking along the road side.
In fact, instructions issued by the district magistrate to the concerned authorities, to install no parking sign boards and to enforce the ban on parking at the stretch has gone abegging till date, for reasons best known to the authorities.
Says Chinchinim Sarpanch Valentino Barretto: “It is indeed sad that that the district Magistrate’s notification banning trucks from parking, metres away from the Dandeavaddo traffic junction has not been implemented till date. No sign boards banning parking have come at the stretch till date. Resultantly, parking of trucks at the stretch continues unabated”.
The stretch of the NH66 at Fradilem-Navelim right down to the Jakniband bridge is another stretch which has become a favoured parking lot for the inter-state trucks. The location of a food and liqour outlet along the stretch is believed to have attracted the truck drivers to make a halt before resuming their journey.
Sources, however, pointed out that dozens of trucks are found parking on either side of the Highway late nights and early morning, in violation of the rules in force.
