3-hour gridlock on Chorla Ghat after truck accident

KERI: Traffic on the Chorla Ghat route came to a standstill on Wednesday for over three hours after a loaded truck coming towards Goa from Belagavi slipped off the road and into a gutter. Traffic had to be diverted from Poriem to Dodamarg-Tillari Ghat and Amboli Ghat.
In the last two months, the Chorla Ghat road, which connects Panaji to Belagavi, has been bearing the entire vehicular load after traffic on the main highway passing through the Anmod Ghat was stopped due to the expansion and road repair works. Resultantly, traffic congestion has become a regular feature here.
Though Karnataka police has placed restrictions on heavy vehicle traffic through the Chorla Ghat, these vehicles ply the route on the sly after nightfall.
Sattari police inspector Deepak Pednekar told TOI, “Though Karnataka government has issued a notification for curtailing heavy vehicular traffic, heavy vehicles enter Goa (through the Chorla Ghat), causing problem. We fine them under the Vehicular Traffic Act. Our police are vigilant and patrolling the area. But, most of the violations are taking place in the ghat section.”
The Chorla Ghat road passes through reserve forest areas of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka, including the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, and there is very little scope for road widening.
The carrying capacity of this road has not been taken into consideration, which means heavy vehicular traffic causes severe inconveniences.
Further, the bridges connecting Piranwadi to Jamboti are small. There were many fatal accidents after which villagers protested and stopped the traffic.