Youth killed in hit-and-run on national highway on Bhubaneswar outskirts

Tension prevailed near Pahala on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar on Thursday after a youth died in a hit-and-run incident on the National Highway. The deceased has been identified as Somanath Khuntia of Sundarpatana under Rudrapur area.

Also Read: Around 15 persons die every day due to road mishaps: Odisha Minister

According to police sources, the fatal incident occurred when Somanath was crossing the road near Rudrapur on the NH. An unidentified vehicle hit him and fled the scene, leading to his death.

Following the road accident, locals staged a protest, resulting in a major traffic jam on the highway near Pahala. Hundreds of vehicles were seen stranded on both sides of the road.

On being informed, cops from Pahala Police Station reached the spot, pacified the agitating crowd, and sent the body to Capital Hospital for post-mortem. Family members demanded immediate handover of the body after the inquest.

Locals also raised concerns over road safety, demanding the construction of a foot overbridge, street lighting, and regular patrolling by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to prevent such accidents in the future.

The incident caused a temporary disruption in vehicular movement between the twin cities of Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

Worth mentioning, the State is grappling with an unsettling escalation in the road accidents, which tragically claim the lives of approximately 15 individuals each day.

During an earlier session in the Legislative Assembly, Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena had revealed this disturbing data. The daily average of road accidents stands at 31, resulting in approximately 27 injuries.

Despite the State government's efforts aimed at diminishing these fatal incidents, including various road safety initiatives, experts contend these programmes are largely confined to theoretical plans, limited to reviews and meetings alone.

Alarming statistics surfaced, showing an average of five accidents every four hours, leading to injuries, with three fatalities occurring nearly every five hours. In the past five years, before March 2025, the State has faced an annual average of 11,366 road accidents, injuring nearly 10,008 people and claiming around 5,433 lives.

Reported By: Arun Kumar Sahu