Thrissur , Sept 5 Keralam Sports Minister O J Janeesh, who represents Kodungalloor, on Saturday criticised the NHAI following the death of eight engineering students whose car rammed into a lorry parked on NH-66 at Kaipamangalam here.
“From the visuals, it appears that the car crashed into the rear of a parked vehicle. The spot where the vehicle was parked on the highway was not a designated parking area. This is the first time an accident has happened there.
That is a major issue,” he said. “Representatives of the people, including myself, have been continuously meeting and demanding action regarding the black spots along that highway route,” Janeesh said. He said he had attended around three meetings convened to discuss the issue, which were attended by MLAs from constituencies through which the highway passes, besides the district collector and the SP. Instructions had been issued to identify locations lacking signboards and proper warning systems and take corrective measures, he said. Nevertheless, the accident appears to have occurred after a vehicle was parked in an unauthorised area,” Janeesh said. Janeesh said public representatives had to insist on meetings with NHAI officials, including when schools were reopening, to raise safety concerns. “During construction stages, there are no proper mechanisms to verify or prevent these unsafe practices,” he said.
“Based on our current understanding, the spot where the accident occurred was not among the previously identified black spots.
