Bhubaneswar: Surge in frequency of accidents at Palasuni section of National Highway 16 has brought the nightmare back for commuters and pedestrians alike, who use it on a daily basis.The spectre of incidents at Palasuni, which has a chequered history of both major and minor accidents, saw a recurrence on Wednesday night, with a hydraulic oil spill from a borewell truck at the site, which triggered a severe traffic snarl on the highway.According to eyewitnesses, a heavy truck en route from Bhubaneswar to Cuttack side late at night reported an oil spill and halted at Palasuni. Hundreds of litres of hydraulic oil were spilt on the road surface, creating a major risk, especially for motorists.Prompt officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) were pressed into action immediately to take remedial measures. To avoid any further damage, NHAI covered the oily portion of the road with sand and diverted traffic for more than two hours. “We moved at a snail’s pace from Vani Vihar up to Hanspal last night for the accident at Palasuni. It was absolutely chaotic. It took almost 40 minutes to cross a 2-km stretch,” said Bidyadhar Moharana, a commuter stuck in traffic on Wednesday night.This was not an isolated incident at Palasuni recently. A few days ago, a speeding four-wheeler coming from the Cuttack side towards the Bhubaneswar side rammed into another car at Palasuni, causing similar inconvenience to commuters.The impact of the collision was such that one car literally climbed over the other and remained tilted on the highway for an hour. Fortunately, no fatalities or major injuries were reported from the incident.“It was a horrific scene. The car coming from the Cuttack side was moving at a breakneck speed and hit the other car from behind. It could not jump over, but remained mounted on top of the other car,” said Savitri Jena, a shopkeeper in the locality.Notably, Palasuni has been in the headlines for the accidents being witnessed over a period of time. The NHAI implemented several measures, including the operationalisation of a foot overbridge, and is currently widening the stretch from four to six lanes.“We are widening the NH-16 section near Palasuni with the construction of a third bridge over Gangua Nullah. In the recent incidents, our officials, along with the police, also promptly acted to avoid further accidents,” said the project director, NHAI, Suraj Singh.
