Drive carefully on our roads......
I am terribly pained and deeply saddened
reading the news of horrendous road accident, head-on collision of a private
bus and an omni-car carrying school-children, that took place last week in Trassi near
Kundapur, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka State, where eight young and tender school-going
kids lost their life. Our deepest condolences and my heart goes to the bereaved
family... I pray Almighty to rest the departed souls in peace and give needful strength to the families who lost their dear ones.
The news of this ghastly accident sends
painful and chilling effect in our spines. How these accidents take place in
our roads, almost every day ....? Why such anarchic condition in our roads….?
Our roads, including the state and
national highways, are worst nightmares….! There is no law and order followed in
our roads these days, except in some cities and townships. Every vehicle zooms
through by your side, right and left, with unbelievable speed. The coastal
highway from Karwar to Mangaluru passes through several busy towns which
include Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar, Murdeshwar, Bhatkal, Kunapur and Udupi. On the
way, there are numerous other thickly populated villages and townships. I have
been driving in this road more than 20 years, from Goa to Mangaluru. It is
not enough only if we take care. Everyone who drives a vehicle should be careful.
Twice I met with serious car accidents in this road simply because of the mistake
of opposite vehicle. Though several years passed, this highway did not undergo any
major overhauling but a phenomenal increase in vehicular traffic took place. Goods
carrying trucks, long- and short-route buses, road-widening big, big machines, private
cars, mini-buses and 2-wheeler bikes, everyone uses the same narrow road....This
has lead to a near impossible and nightmare-like congestive situation. I am
singling out one town, Bhatkal, where numerous 2-wheelers ride in the town
without any traffic rules. Believe it or not, I get tensed up when I pass
through Bhatkal every time. These 2-wheelers zoom in the front and back from left to
right and right to left without any traffic sense. Presently, this highway is getting
upgraded to 4-lane highway, from Karwar to Kundapur and hopefully road
conditions will improve in the time to come.
Whoever drives a vehicle; one should
follow the traffic rules systematically and have enormous patience. Urgency has
no priority in our roads except for ambulances. I have seen on the roads,
everyone honks and tries to overtake the other. It is not a civic sense but a
chaotic situation almost every day.... Unless, all of us impose self-discipline
and drive carefully we will not contribute to improve the system.
I appeal everyone to follow the
traffic rules and drive carefully. Then only we will be safe and live long. After all, life
is precious....
D. Jayarama Bhat
