HYDERABAD: The very term expressway is enough to send the adrenaline pumping among youngsters. Sitting behind the wheel of a high speed car, the sight of eight lane roads, chest high barricades and scarce vehicular traffic obscures the green sign boards screaming for attention from the sidelines: Do not over speed. “Is it fair to blame authorities if careless driving is what leads to accidents? As taxi drivers we may not be overly educated but at least, we are aware of the dangers of over speeding,” said Rahim, a cabbie who regularly drives along the ORR. He may have a point there about a general lack of awareness about safe driving among motorists, but the ORR is yet to provide foolproof care to its users, primary being the absence of good hospitals or ambulance services. The nearest multi-speciality hospital is at Kukatpally or Banjara Hills, both close to 15 km from the Gachibowli entry point. Which means, for any accident on the ORR, expect help to reach you only within 20-35 minutes! “It’s disturbing that this area which is home to so many IT professionals and sees constant high speed traffic has no emergency hospitals. Healthcare should have been given high priority during the construction stage itself,” said Dr Gurunath Reddy, Chairman of the Continental Group of Hospitals, which is setting up a new hospital on the ISB Road nearby, to be operational by April 2012. His point is worth noting considering that, in most accident cases connected with the ORR, deaths have resulted due to delay in providing timely treatment. While most expressways have a dedicated ambulance service, the ORR does not have any. “There are ambulances stationed at Kondapur, Hyderabad University Campus and at the Gachibowli Stadium. But none for a dedicated 24x7 service for the ORR,” said a call attendant for 108. With medical care yet to be taken care of, and no speed monitoring devices in place, the authorities are currently hinging on the excuse that problems will be solved once the ORR finishes completion. But the fact remains that a few months earlier, the Hyderabad Growth Corridor Limited (an autonomous joint venture company between the HDMA and INCAP) had proposed 38 vehicle detector sets, 41 CCTV sets, 330 emergency call boxes and other equipment such as speed guns for a safe drive on the ORR. But all that remains on paper. “We are yet to receive these devices. It’s not possible to man the entire stretch using traffic personnel alone. Even with these devices in place, only with proper awareness among drivers on the risks of over driving can the number of deaths come down,” said Chandrasekhar Reddy, DCP (Traffic), Cyberabad. But with the constant blame on over-speeding doing the rounds, the inevitable dilemma on every motorist’s mind is why Indian e-ways are not yet geared up to handle high speed. To this, a structural engineer with IL&FS, replies, “The ORR, among other e-ways in the country is among the best in the world. But the reason why such high speed roads specify a max limit is for the safety of the driver. Recently even in Japan, a string of super cars crashed into each other due to over speeding on an e-way.” He further adds, “At top speeds, it becomes difficult to control the car in case of a sudden obstruction on the road, be it anywhere in the world, ORR included. Lesser friction between the wheels and ground, as well as micro changes in the braking system and other crucial control parameters, affect the ability of the car to react as it would under normal conditions.” With two sides to the infamous ORR ordeal, motorists would do well to know their limits before they embark on a journey of their life, literally.
Comments
0 comment