DANG, Fec 4: Eight people died in an accident in Ghorahi, Tulsipur, on Wednesday. Accidents are very much common in this road section. As per data of the District Police, it was 54th accident in this Ghorahi - Tulsipur road span since July. The numbers have already surpassed last year's accident in this road section by 19 killing 31 and injuring hundreds.
Even though campaigns related to road safety run on and off, they have been hardly effective in reducing accidents in this stretch of road. Due to alarming number of accidents, Dang roads are being considered as the most vulnerable roads in the country.
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"The main reason of growing number of accidents in the district is narrow roads," said Traffic Police Inspector Arun Kumar Singh. "The roads are too narrow to take the burden of ever thickening traffic. Nothing else, but the narrow and poor road quality caused the accident in Wednesday, too," he added.
On Wednesday, a micro van and a school bus collided head on. Singh claimed that the accident could have been averted if the road was bit broader. "The school bus could not corner itself enough to give ample space to the micro van to get through," he noted.
Ghorahi - Tulsipur is known as the most vulnerable road section in Dang district. Despite being as double lane road, the breadth of the road is equivalent to a single road Singh said adding that the risk the road is still used in lack of an alternative.
Along with the vehicles, the road is not considered safe for pedestrians. "Many pedestrians have also been hit by vehicles on this road," he stated.
This road section was opened as a gravel road in 1978 with donors' support. A decade later, the government blacktopped it without upgrading the breadth of the road in consideration. "The road was blacktopped without widening it," said Jayandra Poudel, officer at the District Road Division. In the years that followed, the road was used by growing number of vehicles and was never upgraded he informed. "The road has now simply become a death trap," he asserted.
According to Achyut Dahal, zonal chief of Road Management Office, Rapati, road accidents cannot decline until and unless the roads are duly upgraded. "Managing heavy traffic in such narrow and poor quality road is next to impossible. The roads need immediate attention. These need to be upgraded," he said.
As per the road Act, highways should be 42 meters wide. However few highways and sub highways in country boast of meeting the standard. From Lamahi to to Tulsipur, around 50 kilometer road section is too narrow at several places. Their breadth has been further squeezed by human encroachments. "There's plan to upgrade the roads to four lane in the near future," Dahal said expressing hope that the stretch would be also updated during the same.
Speed another problem
Besides narrow and dilapidated roads, lack of uniformity in speed is another major factor for growing numbers of road accidents. Competition between public transporters to pick passengers and overtake each other has made the roads unsafe, district traffic police stated.
Road rules limit 80 kilometers per hour for main highways and 30 kilometers per hour in market areas. However, these rules are openly flaunted by drivers around the district and lead to road accidents. Singh said. "It's the over confidence of the driver that is has been another major factor behind increasing number of accidents."
Accidents of two wheelers - scooters and motorbikes - are quite common too in Dang, locals stated adding that most of these are youngsters who try to fly their motorcycles even in busy residential and market places. "In Ghorahi market you cannot walk peacefully. You never know when you'd be hit from behind. Boys try to fly in their bikes, it's disgusting," said Ramesh KC, a hotel entrepreneur in Ghorahi market.
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