Divider to make GT Road safer

To check accidents on the Grand Trunk Road in Dadri, which is now National Highway 91, a road divider has been planned. However, traders along the highway claim it will affect their business.

A visit to the area revealed that though it was a four-lane road, just two lanes were available for vehicular movement. One lane on either side was encroached upon by shopkeepers, vendors and vehicles.

Shop owners and residents claim they witness three to four accidents on the stretch from Chhaprola to Kot Bridge everyday. In terms of traffic snarls, they say it takes 30 minutes to cross the 1-km stretch during peak hours. They attribute jams to containers passing through the area. A containers depot lies near the Dadri Railway Station.

“National Highway Authority of India is constructing a divider. This will prevent head-on collisions. In the last one month, more than 20 persons have died on the highway,” Rahul Kumar, deputy superintendent of police, said.

Traders feel it will result in decline of business as shoppers will not be able to cross to the other side. “Business activity will decline by 50%,” Rajesh Gupta, a shop owner, said. However, not all agree.

NH 91 links Ghaziabad at NH 24 to Kanpur at NH 2 covering 405 kilometres.