Gurgaon residents blame faulty road design, MCG’s apathy for mishaps at Ghata turn

Ghanta road is used by motorists driving to and from south Gurugram, Sohna, Manesar, Dharuhera, Sohna Road, NH-8 and Faridabad.

Latest police records showed that the Ghata road, where two motorcyclists were severely injured in an accident on Friday night, witnesses at least three accidents a week. At least 52 accidents were reported on this stretch till April 30 this year.

Commuters face a major difficulty in accessing a u-turn located below the Subhash Chowk flyover on the heavily congested Sohna Road in Gurgaon. (HT File Photo/Representative image)

“Three people were killed in accidents (here) in the first three months of the year,” ACP (traffic) Hira Singh said.

Last year, 187 accidents were reported on the same stretch; this number was 164 in 2016.

The road is used by motorists driving to and from south Gurugram, Sohna, Manesar, Dharuhera, Sohna Road, NH-8 and Faridabad.

The road, which connects the Gurgaon-Faridabad road to the Golf Course Extension road, has a sharp turn, which drivers often fail to negotiate leading to accidents that are sometimes fatal.

Locals said the road, which was opened to the public in 2014, is unsafe because of faulty road engineering and inadequate lighting.

“The road from Faridabad towards Ghata village slopes quite sharply. This can be straightened, but the authorities have been ignoring our demand,” Sanjay Sapru, a resident of Valley View Estate, said.

Locals said that those who do not use the road regularly are unaware of the steep turn and often lose control when speeding.

“Poor lighting is also a major security hazard, especially during foggy mornings. The authorities should be sued for the loss of so many innocent lives,” Ajay Pandita, a daily commuter, said.

MCG officials said they should be able to install streetlights and repair the existing ones by next month. “We have received several complaints from residents about this stretch. I have directed the junior engineer to take up the task of changing dysfunctional street lights and installing new ones,” MCG commissioner Yashpal Yadav said.

Hira Singh said that the traffic police has also approached the MCG to improve the lighting on this stretch, and that this will help the traffic police do its job better. “We deploy our teams on the stretch at night and more personnel will be dedicated too this stretch once we get more manpower. Meanwhile, we have written to the MCG about the poor lighting, installation of signages and dividers.”