Visakhapatnam: This junction(Novotel junction) is not new to fatal accidents

Visakhapatnam: It is one of the major junctions of the RK Beach frequented by scores of tourists and commuters on a daily basis.

But it is also an accident-prone zone where mishaps keep occurring. Blame it on the slope that forms a part of the junction or the lack of awareness on the route or negligence, a number of mishaps continue to happen at the same location (Novotel junction), including three major ones.

Earlier, a sand-laden lorry came crashing down the lane leading to Beach Road from the Taj Gateway Hotel. Losing control, it rammed into the parapet wall abutting the road before coming to a halt. Brake failure was said to be the reason behind the mishap. Fortunately, the incident took place during the wee hours of the day and hence casualty was averted.In 2017, a similar mishap was registered at the same junction when a school bus lost control while passing through the slope. This vehicle too met with a similar fate as the earlier one, crashing the wall alongside the beach. Unfortunately, the incident claimed Dharma Rao, father of the then Additional Superintendent of Police in State Intelligence Bureau D N Kishore and the latter's son and left several others serious injured.

A similar mishap was witnessed in the wee hours of Tuesday as a speeding lorry rammed into the divider as the driver failed to identify the speed-breaker ahead and lost control over the vehicle. Since it was early hours of the day, no casualties were reported.

Since a few of the incidents happened at odd hours such as early morning or late into the night, a number of fatalities have been averted.

Despite traffic cops taking measures to control the mishaps from recurring at the spot, they continue to happen. "Though we have placed stoppers to control speeding vehicles passing through the lane and alert tourists not to use the parapet wall leading to the beach at the accident-prone junction, mishaps continue to happen. As a part of bringing down the number of incidents at the spot, we are contemplating on banning heavy vehicles taking this route," said M Ramesh Kumar, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

The police are also devising ways to caution the drivers passing through the stretch. "Prominent sign boards about the danger zone need to be placed at the entire stretch so that drivers can be extra conscious while commuting," added R C H Srinivas, Road Transport Officer.