Guwahati, 8th January: Within a 24-hour span, Dergaon in Assam’s Golaghat district witnessed another distressing road accident, involving a truck that overturned. This marks the second incident of its kind within the same day, contributing to the growing apprehensions about road safety in the area. The string of accidents in Dergaon has sparked worry, following a recurring pattern of fatal collisions resulting in numerous casualties.
Since November 3, there have been a total of 22 fatalities due to road accidents in Dergaon, including the tragic incident on January 3, where 12 picnic-goers lost their lives. These accidents are attributed to a combination of factors, including the road conditions due to the construction of a four-lane road and instances of over-speeding.
The most recent event unfolded early on Monday morning when a freight truck, transporting cooking gas cylinders from Goalpara to Demow, overturned after colliding with the railings along the national highway in Badulipar. This incident closely follows another accident on Sunday, where a Bolero car with two occupants flipped over after crashing into a divider in the same area. Remarkably, the passengers in the Bolero car escaped with minor injuries.
Specifically, the Monday morning accident involved a truck with registration number AS 01 NC 3090. While no fatalities were reported, the occupants sustained minor injuries. The stretch of National Highway 37, connecting Jorhat and Golaghat, has gained notoriety for its dangerous spots leading to frequent accidents.
Expressing concerns about the perilous state of the highway, local authorities, including BJP MLA Hitendra Nath Goswami, have called for immediate action to address these identified ‘black spots.’ In response to the alarming rate of accidents, the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has announced that a team of experts from Delhi will conduct an inquiry into the recent accidents to identify any shortcomings in road maintenance and safety measures.