Labour Minister and Dharwad district in-charge Santosh Lad has directed the officials of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to develop the highway underpass on Dharwad-Haliyal Road in such a way so as to prevent recurring accidents on the stretch.
The Minister visited the spot where accidents are reported frequently, near the Higher Education Academy in Dharwad on Monday in the wake of complaints by residents about the frequent accidents on the stretch.
The residents had complained that the turn provided at the underpass was the reason for recurring accidents and had appealed to the Minister to take steps to straighten the road as a safety measure.
The Minister, who during his visit was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner of Dharwad Gurudatta Hegde, asked Director of NHAI Bhuvanesh to take steps to straighten the road during development and shift the proposed bridge from the spot.
The underpass is now on the two-lane Pune-Bengaluru National Highway, which is being developed into a six-lane road between Gabbur and Narendra.
The Minister, quoting local residents as saying, said that if the road is made straight during development of the six-lane road, then accidents can be averted. He then asked the NHAI officials to incorporate their suggestion while developing the road.
Mr. Gurudatta Hegde said that during the implementation of the road development work, the district administration will accord necessary permission for doing away with the road turn and making it straight.
Tahsildar Doddappa Hugar and others were present.
