TNI Bureau: BJD Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Sasmit Patra met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Jairam Gadkari and submitted a detailed representation seeking urgent intervention for strengthening road safety infrastructure on the Khandagiri–Palasuni stretch of National Highway-16 in Bhubaneswar.

During the meeting, Dr. Patra highlighted the alarming increase in fatal road accidents, traffic hazards, and recurring public safety incidents on the busy NH-16 corridor, which serves as a major transit route connecting Odisha with neighbouring states.

The BJD MP brought to the Union Minister’s attention a series of tragic accidents and repeated loss of innocent lives reported from the stretch over the past year. He pointed out that incidents involving speeding heavy vehicles, reckless driving, hit-and-run cases, pedestrian fatalities, and dangerous street racing have created widespread concern among commuters, residents, students, and office-goers in the capital city.

Dr. Patra specifically referred to several accident-prone locations, including Khandagiri, Patrapada, Aiginia, Rasulgarh, and Palasuni, where repeated mishaps have exposed serious shortcomings in traffic enforcement, surveillance systems, pedestrian safety infrastructure, and highway management.

In his memorandum, Dr. Patra stressed that immediate preventive and corrective measures are necessary to avoid further tragedies and ensure safer commuting for the public. He urged the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and other concerned agencies to treat the issue on priority considering the growing traffic pressure on the urban highway corridor.

The representation submitted by Dr. Patra proposed several key road safety interventions, including installation of AI-enabled speed detection cameras and automatic challan systems, deployment of comprehensive CCTV surveillance, introduction of average-speed monitoring systems for heavy vehicles, and implementation of Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS) integrated with real-time monitoring facilities.

He also proposed construction of pedestrian foot overbridges and safe crossing systems at accident-prone areas, creation of emergency response lanes and dedicated highway patrol units, installation of improved signage, reflective lane markings, rumble strips, crash barriers, and enhanced street lighting on vulnerable stretches and flyovers.

Apart from these measures, Dr. Patra sought an immediate and comprehensive road safety audit of the Khandagiri–Palasuni stretch to identify critical gaps and recommend long-term safety solutions.

Speaking after the meeting, Dr. Patra said the repeated loss of innocent lives on the NH-16 stretch is deeply distressing and demands urgent intervention. He stated that citizens deserve safer roads, stronger monitoring systems, and modern traffic management infrastructure to prevent avoidable accidents and improve public safety.

Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari assured Dr. Patra that the concerns raised in the representation would be examined seriously and that appropriate action would be considered in coordination with the concerned authorities.