The illegal presence of tea shops, dhabas, tyre repair outlets adjacent to the Delhi Road has become a major cause of high casualty rates during repeated road mishaps.

The administration, highly concerned over the rise in road mishaps along the Delhi highway from Dankuni onwards towards Burdwan, exacerbated due to illegal occupancy adjacent to the highway, has taken a number of steps to check and control the rise in road mishaps.

Very recently, the driver of a loaded Matador proceeding at high speed towards Burdwan lost control at Mollaber in the Rishra area and smashed into a wayside teashop. Three of the people in the shop died, while five others were seriously injured and were rushed to the Serampore Walsh hospital. Soon after the accident, an emergency meeting was convened to remove all the illegal shops set up adjacent to Delhi Road.

Mr Subir Mhukherjee the Zila Parishad Purto Karmadhakya, said, since the area falls under the Rishra Panchayat area, a resolution was adopted by the Panchayat samity in the presence of the police authorities asking the highway authorities to promptly remove all the illegal tea shops and dhabas which have come up adjacent to the Delhi highway.

Steps will be taken to install high mast lights at all major crossings, and put up guard railings along the highway close to marketplaces, densely populated areas and major road junctions, he said. The police administration will deploy more traffic police during rush hours, said Mr Subir Mhukherjee.

The general secretary of United Truck Owner Welfare Association Mr Prabir Chatterjee said, “We have a number of times drawn the attention of the concerned authorities towards the tea shops, dhabas, tyre repairing outlets
coming up adjacent to the highway. As per the rule, within a distance of 50 metres from the edge of the highway no roadside shops and outlets should be allowed to come up.

Loaded commercial vehicles travelling at a good speed may break down, or develop mechanical problems. The driver in such circumstances often loses control over the vehicle. In such circumstances, people having tea and snacks in the roadside outlets are taken unaware and thus lose their lives. We have been also raising our voice of protest against overloading and illegal parking of vehicles on the side of the highway which is also the major cause of road mishaps on the highway,” said Mr Chatterjee.