Daltonganj: The Palamu administration on Saturday inspected the accident-prone Pokhraha intersection of a state highway and NH-39 after two deaths in two accidents reported last week drew chief minister Hemant Soren’s attention.Officials from RCD, NHAI, police and other departments, led by DC Shekhawat and SP Kapil Chaudhary, inspected the site and announced short-term measures like traffic signals for smooth traffic regulation and improved visibility from both sides.Additional collector Kundan Kumar said, “There is the issue of visibility here as the height of the roads, state highway, and NH-39 is not aligned”Referring to last week’s fatal accidents, sources said CCTV footage showed a speeding scooterist ramming a truck. “It was a 100 % avoidable collision had the scooterist not been speeding.DC Shekhawat said, “The administration asked the NHAI to build a vehicular underpass. NHAI had earlier proposed one, but locals resisted it. The proposal was shelved.”The NH stretch is also to be elevated, but railway electricity lines pass overhead and must be raised. “We have asked NHAI to draw its plan, design and structure for approval by its authorities and submit the same to the district administration by July 9. NHAI has also been asked to follow Indian Roads Congress (IRC) safety guidelines,” said the DC.
Attachment