Close on the heels of the tragic accident at Kaipamangalam in Thrissur that claimed the lives of eight students, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan has written to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, urging a comprehensive review of safety measures on the national highways in Keralam. The Chief Minister also sought strict regulations to curb the unscientific and illegal parking of vehicles, including heavy vehicles, in areas where national highway construction is under way.

The letter urged the Union Minister to direct the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to conduct an immediate, independent and comprehensive safety review of all stretches of NH-66 where construction is in progress. The review should examine the adequacy of temporary traffic diversions, road lighting, warning signs, reflective markings, barricades, delineators, crash barriers and other safety arrangements, particularly at locations where traffic is being shifted from the original carriageway.

It should also examine how construction and heavy vehicles are parked and regulated within construction zones and whether adequate mechanisms are in place to prevent hazardous or unauthorised parking, the letter said. The State also sought an assessment of whether contractors and concessionaires are strictly complying with the safety conditions and traffic-management plans prescribed by the NHAI, and whether the authorities concerned are effectively supervising and monitoring compliance.

Mr. Satheesan sought the Union Minister’s intervention to direct the NHAI to undertake an independent and time-bound safety review of the entire ongoing NH-66 works in Keralam and ensure that immediate corrective measures are taken wherever shortcomings are identified.

Seeking a thorough probe into the circumstances that led to the tragic accident in Thrissur, Mr. Satheesan said NH-66 is one of the most important infrastructure projects undertaken in Keralam and, when completed, will transform connectivity and contribute significantly to the State’s economic development. However, during the construction phase, thousands of people are compelled to travel every day through temporary diversions, narrowed carriageways, unfinished stretches and construction zones.

These circumstances require the highest standards of traffic management and road safety. The tragic incident in Thrissur should therefore be seen not merely as an isolated accident, but as an opportunity to undertake a comprehensive assessment of safety arrangements along the entire NH-66 corridor in Keralam, he said.