10 km of accident-prone Ganjam site to be widened

Berhampur: Ten km stretch of Kalinga Ghat on NH no.157 will be widened from the current six metres to 12 metres to facilitate smooth movement of vehicles and preventing accidents. “The tender process for the road widening has started,” said Laxmi Kant Padhy, chief of construction, western national highway circle, Sambalpur.
On Tuesday, six tourists from West Bengal were killed and 40 injured after their bus met with an accident near Durgaprasad in Ganjam district. The 10-km Kalinga Ghat road from Kalinga in Kandhamal district to Durgaprasad in Ganjam district serves as a link between the two neighbouring states and traffic volume on the road has increased in the last few years. In March 2021, the Centre sanctioned Rs 29.69 crore for widening of 285 metre road at Andharikote that had been identified as the black spot by the state transport authorities in 2013.
Meanwhile, 13 of the injured undergoing treatment at MKCG Medical College and Hospital have left for West Bengal. Three persons are undergoing treatment as they have sustained multiple fractures, superintendent Santosh Kumar Mishra said.