Rairakhol-Sambalpur NH-42 turns death trap for commuters

Jharsuguda: Filled with potholes and raw materials scattered on both sides of NH-42, the partially made busiest road and a lifeline between western Odisha and capital city of Bhubaneswar between Rairakhol and Sambalpur of Odisha has turned a death trap for commuters.

The process of expansion of 150.85 km road between Angul and Sambalpur at an estimated cost of Rs 2,491.53 crore was assigned to Gayatri PTPS on March 3, 2017. The expected completion date for the project is June 30 this year, but till now only 40 percent work has been completed.

It is one of the lifelines not only for people of western Odisha, like Bargarh, Jharsuguda, or Sundargarh but hundreds of trucks carrying essential goods to Bhubaneswar and Cuttack as well as to Paradeep port. Sources confirm that the company has completed the land acquisition; but land under the Department of Forest is yet to be settled completely.

As it is a major road of the State and, as per agreement, the company should make it ready for uninterrupted traffic with regular maintenance. But lack of care by the administration and its casual attitude towards people has turned the highway a dumpyard having thousands of potholes and scattered materials on both sides.

Major and minor accidents are regular features killing hundreds of innocent people. Even though political leaders from the Centre and the State are regular commuters, none has questioned the delay in the construction either in the State Assembly or in Parliament about the painful situation.

Driving at night between Rairakhol and Sambalpur is a Himalayan task and becomes a death trap due to lack of regular maintenance. Both the Centre and the State governments should take gravity of the situation seriously and lives of people shouldn't be thrown at their own risk.