Thiruvananthapuram ,Sept 5
Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Saturday expressed concern over increasing accidents and safety hazards on National Highways in the state, particularly on stretches undergoing construction, and said the issue would be urgently taken up with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
His intervention followed a major accident on National Highway 66 in Thrissur district in which eight youths from Tamil Nadu, reportedly engineering students, were killed after their car crashed into a goods lorry parked near a construction diversion.
In a post on X, Satheesan said the rising number of accidents and safety issues on National Highways, especially on stretches where construction was in progress, was a matter of serious concern.
He said he would raise the issue urgently with the NHAI and requested Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to accord high priority to a comprehensive safety review of National Highway projects in Kerala and initiate immediate corrective measures. The Chief Minister stressed that public safety must remain paramount.
The accident occurred around 11.40 p.m. on Friday at Panambikkunnu in Kaipamangalam. The Tamil Nadu-registered car, travelling from the Guruvayur side towards Kodungallur, rammed into the rear of a goods lorry parked on the highway.
The collision took place on a section of NH-66 where construction work was under way. The impact left the car badly mangled, and rescue personnel had to cut open the vehicle to retrieve the occupants. Police, Fire and Rescue Services personnel and local residents participated in the rescue operation.
The bodies were later shifted to Thrissur Government Medical College. Preliminary reports said the victims were associated with an engineering college in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, including the parking of the lorry and other possible contributing factors.
The tragedy has renewed concerns over lighting, warning signs, barricading and traffic management on NH-66 construction stretches, prompting demands for stronger safety measures and stricter monitoring of highway work zones.
