CANACONA
Driving on the edge of the road to negotiate oncoming vehicles has become a major problem for heavy vehicles on the NH66 at Gulem in Canacona.
The hotmixed road has a sharp dip at both sides and in the absence of a proper road setback, a number of mishaps have taken place in the area.
On Thursday night, a loaded truck from Margao and proceeding towards Karnataka fell in the fields after its wheels went off the road by a few inches.
The driver and cleaner, however, escaped without any major injuries.
The driver claimed that he was driving down the Karmalghat slope and was on a straight road,
when he steered the vehicle slightly towards the edge of the road to negotiate an oncoming vehicle. The truck went down the road and toppled.
Incidentally, the highway section particularly in Gulem has become dangerous, catching most of inter-state vehicles off-guard.
According to locals at Gulem, around seven vehicles, mostly outstation vehicles, have fallen down the fields on either side of the highway in the past few weeks.
People have also blamed the PWD for doing nothing to address the issue, even though the required land is available on either side.
