Around 40-45 cops were reportedly en-route to Kosagumuda from Papadahandi in a special vehicle for the 3rd phase Panchayat polls when the driver lost control and the vehicle skidded off the road and turned turtle.
The condition of five cops is stated to be critical. All the injured police personnel were first admitted to the nearby hospital at Papadahandi and later shifted to Nabarangpur district headquarters hospital after their condition deteriorated.
The police personnel and grama rakhis had election duty at Kosagumuda. They were en-route to the area when the accident took place. Three of them died on the spot while around 30 others have sustained injuries. We have so far shifted 14 police personnel to the DHH, informed Additional Collector, Bhaskar Raito.
He further said that an investigation will be carried out to ascertain the reason behind the accident.
A PDS rice laden-truck overturned killing at least three people near Jodibaru in Baripada Sadar area of Mayurbhanj district. An elderly woman reportedly died on the spot while two others succumbed to the injuries at Baripada Medical, said sources. As many as six people have been injured in the tragic mishap.
In another incident, two people lost their lives after a pick-up van rammed into a motorcycle near Kapasara on national highway 26 in Bhawanipatna.
Police have seized the pick-up van after the accident while the driver of the vehicle is said to have absconded from the site of the mishap.
Meanwhile, a couple travelling to Soro in a car also met with a fatal accident when their vehicle hit a standing hyva truck loaded with sand on NH-16 near the Kalitra Mandir chhak in Barikpur area of Bhadrak.
The man driving the car is said to have sustained grievous injuries in the accident while his wife has died.
The last few days in Odisha have seen over a dozen road accident deaths raising questions on the awareness of people about road safety and proper traffic regulations.
Notably, at least six people were killed and many injured in a horrific bus accident near Bidu Chhak at Soro in Balasore district on Saturday. Similarly, a collision between an SUV and a truck on Mahanadi bridge in Sonepur district also led to the death of as many as five people.
Odisha government announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of each deceased in both the road mishaps.
Three people were killed as a truck crushed the bike-borne trio on Basudevpur Road near Sabaranga area in Bhadrak district on Tuesday night.
The three deceased have been identified as Daitari Behera, Prakash Dalei of Edtal Village under Basudevpur block and Dushasana Mohapatra of Chandigaon area.
As per the report, three victims worked in Dhamara, one as a Dhamara port employee and the others as cooks. The mishap took place when the victim trio was returning to their homes late last night from Dhamara.
One of them died on the spot while two others were taken to Bhadrak District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) in critical condition where they succumbed under treatment.
In another incident, an elderly man was killed after an unidentified vehicle allegedly hit him on Tuesday evening near Paburia area of Kandhamal district.
The deceased has been identified as Binod Dandia of Hatapada Sahi in Paburia area.
Binod was returning home when the unidentified vehicle knocked him down, killing him on the spot.
The incident triggered a mob fury in the area. Demanding compensation for the kin of the deceased, the aggrieved people staged a blockade on the road connecting places such as G.Udaygiri, Tikabali, Raikia and Sarangad from Paburia by keeping the dead body of the deceased.
A total of 15 passengers including four women were injured when a bus met with an accident near Khutugaon under Lahunipada police limits of Sundergarh today.
As per reports, the mishap occurred when a speeding truck hit the bus, ‘Jagadamaba’ head-on injuring 15 persons.
The impact of the collision was so much that the front side of the bus was completely damaged and the truck overturned. Sources said as many as 30 passengers were travelling in the bus which was en route to Pallahara from Rourkela.
In another incident, two persons died after the bike they were riding rammed into a bridge near Bhalupani village in Bonai of Sundergarh district. The identities of the deceased are yet to be established.
In Cuttack, a woman riding a moped was killed after being hit by a truck at OTM Bazaar Chhak in Choudwar this evening. The victim died on the spot and her identity is yet to be ascertained.
In Jharsuguda, a man was killed and his wife and son injured after the motorcycle they were travelling on was hit by a truck at Bagharachaka Chhak in Brajarajnagar.
Similarly, one person was killed and eight sustained injuries in a road mishap near Basta-Haldipada bypass on National Highway-60 in Balasore today morning.
Reports claimed that on an average 3-4 precious lives are lost every week with last year registering as many as 200 deaths in separate road mishaps in the Khurda-Balugaon stretch of NH – 16 and Khurda-Nayagarh stretch of NH – 57.
According to sources, the rate of accidents has increased in the last 10 days as the condition of the roads has deteriorated mainly because of huge potholes, rough patches, unmarked heaps of stones and boulders present on the road side.
There are no sign boards or reflectors installed on the road to alert commuters about the heaps of stones placed on the road side for construction works as a result of which motorists find it difficult to drive while passing through through the stretch and face accidents mostly at nights, sources added.
Meanwhile, local residents have held the administration responsible for the situation.
“Due to the callous attitude of the administration, many people have lost their lives in the national highway here between Balugaon and Bhubaneswar in the last two months. No steps have been taken by the administration to solve the issues,” said a local commuter, Bishnu Prasad Jena.
"During the recent monsoon people used to face lot of difficulties while travelling as it became difficult to gauge the depth of potholes filled with rainwater thereby posing a serious threat to their lives. The risk of mishaps increased during night hours," rued another commuter.
Similarly, the old defunct Gangapada toll gate which was shifted to Godipada area 2 years back has turned out to be a menace for commuters. Slabs, concrete and tiles often fall off the dilapidated structure posing a threat for daily commuters. It becomes more severe as new commuters due to lack of any road signal or traffic light during the night hours.
On the other hand, the abandoned toll office and store house situated close by have turned safe heaven for anti-socials. Miscreants operate from those houses and extort money from passers-by besides engaging in alcoholism, gambling and loot.
Local residents have demanded that the toll gate should be removed as it is of no use.
Meanwhile, Khurda collector, Nirmal Chandra Mishra said that the NHAI authorities have been asked to demolish the structure but they are yet to take any step. He further said the NHAI authorities will be reminded about the issue again.
On the other hand Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Kumar Patasani, said, “I will inform the Commerce & Transport Minister and bring to the notice of concerned authorities to take necessary steps such that road mishaps could be minimised and precious lives are saved.”
As per reports, in the first incident, two persons died when their bike on which they were travelling met with an accident on National Highway-20 near Jadichatar village under Sadar police limits in Keonjhar district.
The deceased have been identified as the residents of Shankiri village. Sources said the mishap occurred while they were returning home.
On getting information, police rushed to the spot and sent the bodies for post-mortem. Further investigation into the incident is currently underway.
Similarly, in a separate incident, one person was killed after a trailer truck turned turtle near Anja area of Keonjhar.
In another incident, six persons of a family sustained critical injuries after an auto rickshaw in which they were travelling overturned near Kashafala Karunabanka under Chandipur police limits of Balasore.
According to sources, a total of 11 passengers were travelling in the vehicle who were on their way to Kasafala. It is being suspected that the accident could have taken place because of overloading of passengers.
The injured identified as residents of Bhanupur area of Baliapal area were rushed to the hospital where they are undergoing treatment.
In Rayagada, 12 persons were injured after the van they were travelling in rammed into a tree near Dhabagudi in the district.
While ten of the injured were admitted to Muniguda hospital, two critically injured persons were shifted to the Rayagada hospital.
Sources said the van was en route to Bissamcuttack from Daringbadi in Khandhamal district when the mishap occurred.
In Boudh, three persons, including the driver and helper of a gas cylinder-laden truck, were injured late last night after the driver lost control and the vehicle slid off road near Jogipathar in the district.
All the injured were first admitted to Purunakatak hospital and later shifted to Burla Medical College and Hospital after their condition deteriorated.
The deceased have been identified as Kumar Chandan, Debashis Mishra and Parshuram Harichandan. All the three were reportedly residents of Bhubaneswar.
While Chandan was reportedly an Engineer, Debasish and Parshuram were Software Engineer and Merchant Navy Officer respectively.
As per reports, the deceased were travelling to Rasulgarh from Jaydev Vihar at a high-speed when the mishap occurred. The intensity of the collision was so high that the front portion of the car was completed damaged.
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Following the collision, the car even caught fire while the trio sustained burn injuries before they were rushed to Capital hospital by Saheed Nagar police. Later, all the three persons were declared brought dead by doctors on their arrival at the hospital.
Meanwhile, police have reportedly started an investigation in connection with the incident.
In the first incident, a woman and son were mowed down by a car near BadamalaChhak in Jharsuguda while crossing road. The mishap victims were identified as Sujata Buda (27) and son Surya Buda (7). Both of them died on the spot following the accident.
Police have detained the driver and seized the vehicle.
Similarly, two persons were killed after two bikes collided head on in Sunabeda of Koraput district. The deceased have been identified as Suresh Samant of Jatapadar and Tapas Sethi of the district. Condition of another person injured in the mishap is stated to be critical.
In the third incident, two persons died while one was left critically injured when a truck hit a bike near Phetcol petrol pump on NH-143 in Rourkela.
In a series of accidents, a speeding truck first hit a Bolero from behind which in turn mowed down a woman pedestrian near Badaposh Chhak on Biju Expressway under Kutra police limits Sunday morning. Five others, who were travelling in the Bolero, have also received critical injuries in the mishap.
The deceased woman, Kalestika Sorang, has been identified to be a resident of nearby village. Soon after the incident, palpable tension prevailed in the area as locals blocked the Biju Expressway demanding compensation for the family of the deceased.
However, the blockade was later removed after officials of district administration rushed to the spot and assured compensation for the kin of the deceased woman.
Getting information, police also rushed to the spot, recovered the body and sent it for post-mortem.
In another incident, one person was critically injured while six others sustained minor injuries after a speeding truck rammed into a bus from behind near Darjing under Lahunipara police limits in the district today. The accident took place when the bus was enroute to Sundergarh from Jangula, sources said.
According to information, the army Jawan identified as Laxmi Rout of Brundabahal village died on spot after a head-on collision between two bikes on a bridge over Tel River near Golamunda of Kalahandi district.
Rider of the other bike, left critically injured in the mishap was rushed to the Dharamgarh hospital.
Rout had come home on leave and was on his way to attend the wedding of a relative at Dharamgarh when the accident occurred.
In another incident, four people including a child were seriously injured after the auto-rickshaw they were travelling in overturned on Tere Naam Ghati near Bhatangpadar in Bhawanipatna.
Sources said the driver lost his control over the auto as the vehicle skid off the road and overturned.
Padhi, revealed the information after attending a review meeting on road safety at the State Secretariat here.
It may be noted that the Supreme Court in 2015, had directed all States ensure 10 percent decrease in road accident by 2020. However, Odisha has registered a rise in accidents in the last three months
“In the first quarter, the number road accident related deaths have gone up to 169, - 14 per cent more than that of last year. The rate of road accidents in 10 districts of the State including Kandhamal and Gajapati is higher than that of the State average,” Padhi said adding that it is a worrisome trend.
To meet the target set by the apex court, the Chief Secretary has been holding regular meetings through video conference with all district Collectors, he informed.
“Police stations have been given additional authority to control road mishaps. Cops have been asked to collect fines from traffic rule violators through e-Chalan Moreover, license of 5,000 drivers has been cancelled during the last three months,” Padhi pointed out.
The meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi was attended by DGP RP Sharma and secretaries of various departments. Collectors of different districts also joined the meeting through video conferencing.
The trio, residents of Suapadara village under Ghasipura block in the district, was on the way to Ghatgaon Tarini temple on a bike for darsan when a trailer truck rammed them near Kolimati on NH-20.
"Dinabandhu was still breathing when we reached the spot. We called for ambulance service but it took over 45 minute to reach the spot," alleged one local.
The road construction agency is solely responsible for the accident. Several accidents have occurred on this road due to the continuous delay in completing the road works. The district administration must take stringent action against the agency, said another local.
Till last report came in, police were yet to reach the spot.
https://youtu.be/R5ggqFvZ3Xw
As per reports, all the passengers were traders. They were on the way to Duburi market in the area when the driver lost control over his vehicle and collided with a truck.
While three of them died on the spot, one succumbed to injuries in hospital. The injured five, including the driver, are undergoing treatment at Jajpur government hospital.
The condition of the injured is stated to be critical and they are expected to be shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, said sources.
Meanwhile, the truck driver fled the spot after the mishap. Police have seized the truck and started investigation.
https://youtu.be/NzIQhkODW6g
Bhubaneswar: With enforcement topping the State government’s list of steps to prevent fatalities due to road accidents, over-speeding could attract cancellation of driving licences as well as imprisonment for motorists found guilty.
With a spike in road accidents in several districts, Odisha Chief Secretary chaired a video conference with collectors, RTOs and SP and directed the concerned authorities to take steps to prevent road mishaps.
Statistics pertaining to the period January-August 2017 presented during the meeting revealed that on an average 13 persons were killed in road accidents in the State daily.
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In 2016, a total of 3,300 people died in road accidents in Odisha. As compared to last year, road accidents increased in as many as 11 districts, out of which the situation in Koraput, Keonjhar, Bolangir, Kalahandi, Jajpur and Balasore districts has been a cause of concern, informed sources.
“We discussed the measures that could be taken to prevent the fatalities due to road accidents. We have to focus on all the aspects from road engineering, enforcement to traffic education. There is a need for stricter action against over-speeding,” said DGP RP Sharma, who was also present in the meeting.
https://youtu.be/1YvSkEW6CJw
Two bike borne youths were hit by a speeding truck in Angul district on NH-55 killing the duo on the spot. The deceased were identified as residents of Khamar area in the district.
Police have reportedly seized the bodies and sent for autopsy.
In another such road mishap, one person was killed and another injured in a head-on-collision between a truck and a pickup van on NH-60 near Basta chhak in Balasore district.
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The deceased, identified as Seikh Hafiz of Motinagar in Soro, was working as helper of the pickup van. The injured, driver of the pickup van, is undergoing treatment at the Balasore hospital.
Similarly, three labourers were injured after the Bolero vehicle they were traveling in turned turtle near Kaprakhol area in Bolangir district while they were on the way to Harishanker Railway station. All the injured have been admitted to Kaprakhol hospital.
The deceased have been identified as Sushil Nayak, Tapan Samant and Nrupa Kumar Samant of Kaleiposha village under Luhunipara police limits.
"The trio had gone to Chandarpur to watch an opera. In the morning today, some villagers informed us about the accident," said Basant Majhi, a relative of one of the deceased.
Meanwhile, police have seized the motorcycle and registered a case in connection with the incident.
"Our investigation to trace the unidentified vehicle and its driver is on," said a police official.
Also Read: 3 killed, 5 injured in road accident
https://youtu.be/-UF01Iox-nY
A man died and two others sustained grievous injuries in a freak accident after the trio was hit by a trawler while they were out on a morning walk near Kurmipada in Belpahar of Jharsuguda district this morning.
The trawler was headed to Chhattisgarh when it hit the trio from behind, sources said. Following the accident, the driver of the trawler managed to flee.
While one of them died on the spot, two others who were also hit by the trawler were rushed to Belpahar hospital where they are reportedly undergoing treatment.
In another accident, a Class 3 girl student was critically injured near Badala Sahi under Purunakatak police limits of Boudh district. She was hit by a Tata Ace when she was on her way to school. The girl has been identified as Rinki Nayak.
Rescued, she was immediately rushed to Purunakatak Hospital where she is undergoing treatment.
Protesting the accident and demanding compensation, locals have blocked the National Highway 57.
In Bolangir district, a passenger bus named ‘Sriram’ rammed into a dumper truck on NH-57 near Puintala area of the district leaving eight persons injured.
The bus was on its way to Patnagarh from Badamba town of the district.
The eight injured have been admitted to Bolangir District Headquarters Hospital.
Similarly, one person died and 15 were critically injured in another bus accident on NH-16 near Talanagar village under Soro block in Balasore district on Tuesday.
According to sources, a Bhubaneswar–bound private bus named ‘Dolphin’, coming from Kolkata, crashed into a potato laden truck that was parked at the side of the road due to technical snag.
Meanwhile, another bus ‘Parameswar’ dashed into the right part of the Dolphin bus leaving as many as 15 people injured in the road mishap.
As per latest reports, two persons who are said to be critical have been shifted to Cuttack for further treatment.
Three persons died while six others were injured in near Kurumakari after a Bolero vehicle in which they were travelling was hit by a speeding bus.
Similarly, a woman and her sister-in-law were killed while her brother was critically injured in a road accident at Balugaon Naval Chhak near Khurda. The victims were travelling in a two wheeler when a trailer hit them from behind, sources said.
The identities of the victims are yet to be ascertained while police investigation has started into both the accidents.
The Chief Secretary informed about the decision following a meeting with the Union Transport secretary. Moreover, another flyover bridge will also come up at Gohira Square near Khurda.
“We had requested for two flyovers at Khandagiri and Gohiria near Khurda and today we had discussions on the same after which they agreed to sanction both the projects. They will sanction the flyovers by April and soon thereafter work will begin,” said Padhi.
Commenting on the various projects and progress in Odisha, Union Transport Secretary, Sanjay Mitra said, “There are some genuine issues and people are involved in many cases and then there are laws regarding to environment and forests. But we are very happy that Odisha government has given us all possible for the last many years and the program on National Highways in Odisha is one of the best in the country.”
Shockingly, reports have claimed that maximum mishaps occurred due to reckless driving, and in many other cases faulty road designs were found to be equally responsible for the mishaps.
Reports revealed that 4,900 persons died in road accidents in 2016-17 in Odisha while the number went up to 5,300 in 2018 raising questions on the impact of various road safety programmes by the government on the citizens.
The Commissionerate Police recently launched various programmes in the twin cities to mark the 30th National Road Safety Week which began on Monday. During this week, thrust will be on creating awareness on traffic rules in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, said Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty.
The CP had earlier identified various black spots in Bhubaneswar, and has now come forward to create awareness on road rules and traffic regulations among the students and drivers in the smart city.
The Commissioner said, "Education, engineering and enforcement are the three things necessary for monitoring the number of road mishaps as well as the fatalities."
As per reports, more than 350 road accidents occur every year in Cuttack. Sources said Madhupatna Chhak and Sikharpur area in the city have registered the most number of mishaps last year. Locals also alleged that despite repeated demands for expansion of the road near Madhupatna Chhak and a flyover in Sikharpur to check accidents in the area, the administration is yet to take any concrete steps in this regard.
"Accidents have become a common affair in Sikharpur. The concerned authorities have been assuring us about the bridge here but it's been around seven years, but the construction work for the same hasn’t started yet," alleged a resident of Cuttack, Janardan Nayak.
On the other hand, Cuttack Traffic ACP, PK Dalai said, "Maximum accidents occur due to rash driving and negligence while driving. As road mishaps occur only due to careless driving, this can be rectified."
Sanjay Nayak of Sahajbahal area in Sundergarh district is a teacher by profession. After three years of handwork and lot of research, Nayak has invented a ‘smart helmet’.
The 'smart helmet' has three types of sensors which ensure that the two-wheeler will start only if the rider has worn a helmet. Besides, the accident sensor in the helmet will send SMS to 16 persons in case the driver meets any accident.
Sanjay has developed the smart helmet at a cost of Rs 4,200.
“Many people are driving motorcycles without helmets which is the main reason behind the maximum number of casualties in road mishaps. And in order to check the deaths due to accidents, I have developed the smart helmet,” said Sanjay.
Sundergarh Mobile Veterinary Officer (MVO), Ramdas Tudu said, “Similar helmets were also invented by many people but Sanjay's smart helmet has alcohol sensor and GPS tracking system. If this helmet is used by the bikers, this will definitely decrease the number of two-wheeler accidents.”
Another youth from Cuttack, Santosh Kumar Dalai has also become the talk of the town for inventing battery-powered scooter named ‘Folding Scooter’.
The device weighs around 15 kg and can be taken anywhere with ease. The scooter completely runs on power fueled by batteries. The folding scooter can cover a distance of 18-20 kilometres after it is charged for two hours, reports said.
An employee at Odisha State Maritime Museum in Cuttack, Santosh has created the ‘Folding Scooter’ by assembling some parts of motorbike, cycle and trolley rickshaw.
“I was thinking to create some handy device which I can carry while travelling in bus. The vehicle can be folded and I am trying to develop it so that it can run without charge by adding turbine technology,” said Santosh.
“He has done a remarkable job. We believe that Santosh will do wonders if but if he gets any monetary assistance from sponsors and State government," said Caretaker of Odisha State Maritime Museum, Amarjit Sen.
Modern Radar technology and CCTVs under the jurisdiction of the Police Commissionerate are yet to be operationalised. We have decided to use barriers and other methods to reduce high speeding of vehicles on the highway. Apart from that we have also decided to use the road interceptors and identify the black spots by coordinating with the RTO to keep a check on the rise of road accidents,
— Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty.
The orders have been initiated in order to check further road mishaps in near future.
The flyovers in the capital city have become whirls of death zones as a number of road mishaps were reported in last few days. Sources claimed in the last three days, five deaths have been registered following road accidents on various over-bridges in Bhubaneswar.
A man was killed and his son sustained critical injuries after the two-wheeler they were riding was hit by a speeding vehicle on Acharya Vihar over-bridge in Bhubaneswar. The collision was so severe that the duo was thrown off the bridge that was 30 feet above the ground. While the man died on the spot, the critically injured boy was immediately rushed to the hospital.
A couple of days ago, two different road accidents had claimed three lives in the city.
Reportedly, two persons were killed while another person was rushed to SCB hospital in critical condition after being hit by a speeding truck on Nayapalli flyover in Bhubaneswar. The truck driver is absconding.
Roads have become prone to accidents due to rise in number of automobiles but until commuters use hemets and seat belts, mishaps are bound to happen
-- local resident of Bhubaneswar.
“Triple-riding and driving without safety equipments are taking toll the lives of people but the administration is helpless because people are not ready to take protective measures,” said another resident.
It is pertinent to note that the CP had earlier identified various black spots in Bhubaneswar and had organised various awareness programmes on road rules and traffic regulations among the students and drivers in the smart city.
After a high level meeting, Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Traffic DCP Bijay Kumar Sahu informed that five places- Batabhuasuni temple near Janla, Aiginia, road near Siddharth Hotel, Acharya Vihar overbridge and Pahal-have been marked as black spots.
"We have decided to install barricades and put up insignias on the said areas for the first time on an experimental basis. Due to previous records of those areas, we have identified the spots but since there are also several other accident prone regions we will also subsequently mark them as black spots as well," said DCP Sahu.
As part of the plan to reduce speed of vehicles during the day, the Traffic Police will put up barricades from morning hours to 9 pm daily. Since plying of local vehicles reduces on the highway in the night hours, the road will be cleared off the barricades after 9 pm to allow unhindered movement of heavy vehicles.
After five persons were killed in separate road mishaps in Bhubaneswar within a span of three days, Twin City Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty had on Monday directed the traffic cops to regulate the speed of vehicles by using interceptors on the roads, wherever necessary.
The residents of the Millennium City alleged that they are finding hard to commute particularly on Press Chhak-42 Mouza Road as it is filled with heaps of sand which was brought for the road construction work.
As JICA officials did not clear the heaps of sand and soil from the road even after two years of its completion of the construction work, it is creating problems for us, alleged a local resident.
A wheat-laden truck reportedly got stuck on the road yesterday and it was only 14 hours the vehicle was cleared from the spot,
“The road has not been constructed properly. I did not know that they had only covered the road using soil. As a result, my vehicle got stuck here. There was not even any signal banning entry of heavy vehicles. With much difficulty we removed the vehicle,” said the truck driver.
The residents further alleged that Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) is yet to take any action against JICA officials despite several complaints regarding irregularities.
“The deplorable road condition is now a regular feature as JICA is not repairing the roads properly. We have been complaining about it for the last several years. Neither the concerned officials, nor CMC authorities are taking any steps to resolve such issues,” said a commuter.
When contacted, CMC Commissioner, Sarat Chandra Nayak, assured to look into the matter and take urgent action in this regard.
“If there are any heap of soil and sand on the road, I will ask JICA to remove it at the earliest. Besides, we will direct to carry out the road construction works without creating inconvenience for commuters,” Nayak said.
In Nayagarh, 12 persons were injured after a head-on collision between two cars near Kaliapada area under Daspalla Police limits in the district. Sources said, the victims were heading towards Hatasahi in Daspalla after attending a marriage function at Kantilo when the mishap occurred.
All the injured were rushed to Daspalla Community Health Centre (CHC) where they are currently undergoing treatment; condition of seven victims are stated to be critical.
Meanwhile, police have initiated a probe into the incident.
In another mishap, nine persons suffered injury after the vehicle they were travelling in overturned at Sunapal Chaak near Udala block in Mayurbhanj district.
As per reports, the vehicle carrying wedding band party members was returning to Athapada from Udala. The injured were initially rushed to Udala hospital by the locals and later two of them were shifted to Baripada hospital as their condition deteriorated.
https://youtu.be/RZ9x7nTa1pk
On getting information Udala Police reached the spot and launched an investigation into the incident.
In Balasore, five persons were injured after a bike was hit by a speeding SUV near Kanthalia Chhak in Jaleswar area.
The injured were initially rushed to Jaleswar hospital by the locals and later two of them were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) as their condition deteriorated.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during Question Hour, the Minister said the step was being taken after an experiment in Tamil Nadu where he claimed the percentage of road accidents had fallen by 15 per cent.
"It has happened only in Tamil Nadu and it is really one of the success stories," Gadkari said.
"On the basis of the experiment in Tamil Nadu, we have prepared a DPR (Detailed Project Report) worth Rs 14,000 crore identifying the black spots on National Highways and assessed the underpasses and bridges required," he said.
The Minister said that his department had submitted the data to the Finance Ministry and they had accepted it in principle.
"It will now go to the World Bank... It is the highest sensitive subject for the government."
Gadkari said the success ratio was not satisfactory despite attempts to stop road accidents for the last five years. "The accidents have reduced only by 1.5 per cent to 2 per cent."
As many as 18,683 people were killed in road accidents in the last four years in Odisha, said Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera on Thursday. While replying to a question, Behera informed the Odisha Assembly that 4,463 people were killed in 10,532 accidents in 2016 and 4,790 deaths occurred in 10,855 accidents in 2017. A total of 5,315 people died in 11,262 accidents in 2018 and till September 2019, 4,115 deaths in 8,203 accidents have been reported, said Behera.
The Minister said that several steps have been taken to curb road accidents in the state. While driving licences are cancelled for violating the motor vehicle rules as per the direction of the Supreme Court, the government has deployed 37 interceptors with speed detection radars and breath analysers to punish the drunken drivers, he added.
Replying to another question, the Transport Minister said that there are 22,09,573 vehicles in the State that are older than 15 years. Besides, as per the data, 11,43,026 such vehicles are plying on roads, he added.
The vehicles will go off roads in Odisha if the scrappage policy is implemented by the Centre. It will immensely affect motor vehicle revenue, said the Minister.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on the Odisha government as it is going to reintroduce stricter enforcement of the amended Motor Vehicles Act from December 1, 2019. Earlier, the Odisha government had relaxed the enforcement for three months so as to provide time to people to get their driving licences and other documents in order as per the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.
(With Agency Inputs)
Additional director general of police (Crime Branch), Santosh Upadhyay on Thursday informed that already the department has written to chief engineers of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and other agencies in the State to identify accident prone areas near various popular picnic sites.
The officials have been asked to rectify engineering defects at the earliest while the Regional Transport Officers (RTOs) have also been asked to initiate appropriate action against picnic vehicles in case of overloading, lack of fitness certificates and other violations.
Already a road safety cell has been set up in Crime Branch headed by a DSP rank officer.
“It has been decided to conduct black spot analyses and in case of serious road mishaps, DSP will visit the spot to conduct a detailed review,” said Upadhyay.
In another development, the Crime Branch has provided 500 e-challan machines to police stations. Under the 5T charter, the e-challan machines will help the officials to compound traffic fines in electronic mode.
Besides steps are being taken to provide adequate number of breath analysers to police stations in the State.
As per reports, a bus ferrying passengers from Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra to West Bengal collided with a gas tanker near Luhamunda under Handapa Police limits on NH-44 in Angul district, leaving one person dead and 12 others injured.
The tanker driver lost his life in the accident while the injured persons have been rushed to nearby hospital for treatment.
The bus was reportedly bringing back around 24 residents of West Bengal who had gone to TATA Memorial Cancer Hospital in Mumbai for treatment. All of them were stranded there since enforcement of COVID-19 lockdown.
In another incident, a truck driver was killed his vehicle collided head-on with a bus near Panapana in Balasore district this morning. The driver of the bus who sustained grievous injuries in the mishap has been rushed to Balasore hospital. He is stated to be critical now.
Reports said the private bus was returning to Bhubaneswar after deboarding migrants in Kolkata when it met with accident near Panapana today.
Meanwhile, a migrant worker was killed after an iron-plate laden truck ran over him near Uliapatna under Khantapada police limits of Balasore district. The driver of the truck lost balance over the wheels reportedly after a tyre burst.
The driver has also been injured in the mishap and sent to nearby hospital for treatment.
Similarly, three persons sustained critical injuries after a truck and a bike fell off Duarsuni Ghat following head-on collision on National Highway- 49 in Mayurbhanj district today. The two injured motorists hail from Bisoi area of the district while the third injured is the truck driver of Nasik area in Maharashtra. All the three have been shifted to Baripda Hospital for treatment, added reports.
Police and fire personnel rushed to the spot after getting information from the locals and launched a rescue operation.
Late last night, at least 10 Odia migrants were badly hurt when the bus ferrying them from Tamil Nadu met with an accident near Tangi area in Cuttack district. The bus was reportedly enroute to Bhadrak district when the mishap occurred.
(Edited By Devbrat Patnaik)
The first accident took place in Bargarh district when an auto rickshaw fell off a bridge at Sarnapali under Bijepur police limits in the district on Wednesday. Two died on the spot while seven others who sustained critical injuries have been rescued and rushed to Burla hospital.
Police seized the auto and sent the bodies for post mortem.
Sources said, the mishap occurred when the auto carrying nine passengers was returning from a wedding ceremony.
In another such mishap, a speeding car rammed into a roadside house killing a man who stood in front of the house at Landa village under Baliguda police limits in Kandhamal district.
The deceased has been identified as Makhan Dandia, a resident of Landa.
The driver of the car along with other passengers fled the spot while villagers managed to detain one among the travellers.
The mishap took place when the vehicle was on its way to Kantamal.
In a separate accident, a bike collided head-on with a truck on Moteru-Jayapatna road near Gungunia in Kalahandi district. The bike rider was killed on the spot.
The mishap triggered palpable tension in the area after locals staged a road blockade demanding compensation to the family of the victim.
Around 10 passengers were injured when the bus in which they were travelling collided head on with a truck on National Highway No.57 near Khajuripada in the district on Thursday night.
Three of the injured passengers are in a critical condition. All of them have been admitted into the Boudh District Headquarters Hospital.
According to reports, the accident took place near Khajuripada when the private Bus--Tirupati was on its way from Bhubaneswar to Bhawanipatna.
Police officials, who reached the spot, said they are investigating the cause of the accident after ensuring that the injured are shifted for treatment.
In another separate accident, as many as eight passengers suffered serious injuries when their vehicle collided with a truck at Badajhinki along the Bolangir-Sonepur Road.
All the injured have been admitted to Sonepur medical. Later two of them were shifted to Burla as their conditions deteriorated.
According to reports, a marriage party from Harinapali village was returning from Patnagarh when a paddy-laden truck collided with it at Badajhinki.
Upon being informed, police rushed to the spot and started an investigation into the incident.
(Edited by Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGQnHngGN0k