Authorities accused of not taking precautionary measures to curb accidents

The National Highway authorities and the local units of road transport and traffic police have come under fire, after three people, including a child, died in an accident when a school bus carrying the YSRC activists hit a car and three motorcycles at Morampudi junction on the NH5 on the outskirts of Rajahmundry.
Morampudi junction is privy to many ghastly accidents in the past. A similar trend is seen at two more junctions between Kakinada and Rajahmundry. According to the records available with the traffic police, 26 major accidents occurred at Morampudi junction, killing 8 people in 2012. Sources hint at another 10 unregistered deaths too. In 2013, 11 persons lost their lives in 39 road mishaps there. Last year, the number of deaths, however, came down to nine in 24 accidents (data till October).
In various instances, motorists blame it on the faulty design of the road here. “Morampudi is considered a dangerous stretch as the construction of the Highway is faulty. The road from Bommuru (Vijayawada side) near Horlicks factory is laid at a higher level and then it plunges to a very low point till Morampudi Junction; visa vis at the other side from Lalacheruvu (Visakhapatnam side). Heavy vehicles coming at a high speed can’t see other vehicles and the there are no barricades too,” says Goli Ramarao, a medical practitioner.
A car dealer and industrialist Kantipudi Sarvarayudu, had installed CCTV cameras at the junction by spending from his own pocket, besides spending Rs.5 lakh more to donate steel barricades to traffic police. “One of the CCTV cameras installed at the junction captured the sequence of the accident. Traffic police are not using the barricades which I gave them three years ago. The RTA, traffic police and National Highways authorities must own responsibility for the accident as they have failed in taking precautionary measures at this junction,” said Mr. Sarvarayudu.
Meanwhile, Gorantla Butchaih Chowdary, who rushed to the spot, said that he would convene a meeting with the National Highway authorities, R&B officials and the Commissioner of Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation to find out a permanent solution to the problem. He favours construction of four flyovers and four more under-bridges to address the traffic bottlenecks on this stretch.