Three die in road mishap, angry locals block highway

Kendrapara, Sep 29:

Death of three persons in a road accident triggered angry protest today with agitated locals staging road blockade disrupting traffic for over six hours on busy Paradip-Daitary expressway.

Three persons – Jayasmita Swain (25), Sangram Mohanty (42) and Bichitra Nayak (37) – died late last night as a cargo-laden truck on its way to Paradip port ran over the victims who were on two motor bikes, police said.

Locals squatted on the road and blamed the civil and police administration for inept handling of vehicular traffic on the busy national highway.

The spurt in iron ore export from Paradip port has triggered the highway chaos with steep rise in cargo transportation on the road. The highway has turned into a death trap with reckless driving claiming human life on a daily basis, locals charged.

The NH blockade was lifted as administration promised to improve the situation, they said. (PTI)