Hazaribag: A long-pending demand to improve safety in accident-prone Danua Valley stretch of the GT Road along the Jharkhand-Bihar border in Hazaribag has moved a step closer to reality with the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) for two flyovers covering around 4.5 km. Mandatory clearances from the forest department are awaited for work to begin, officials said.Over 20,000 vehicles use the stretch daily, making it one of the busiest transport corridors linking Jharkhand to Bihar and other parts of the country. Infamous as ‘Maut ki Ghati’ due to frequent accidents, mostly fatal, due to steep gradients and sharp curves, the valley witnesses an average of three to four deaths every month.On Nov 9, seven members of a family, which was on way to Varanasi with a body for the last rites, died when a tanker and a coal-laden truck hit their vehicle. Administrative records revealed that over 250 people have lost their lives on the stretch in the last five years, including the 115 accidents and 38 fatalities reported in the past year.A resident of Chordaha village in Chauparan, Mahesh Saw, said, “We have been demanding a solution to this problem for long.”Echoing his demand, college-goer Shekhar Kumar said, “We want flyovers at the earliest so that no more accidents happen here. Many families have lost their near and dear ones on this stretch.”The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) conducted soil testing and technical inspections in Aug and Sept to assess the feasibility of the project, officials said. “The DPR has been sent to authorities for mandatory sanctions. The proposal has also been sent to the Ranchi forest dept office for its approval. Efforts are being made to take it forward at the earliest,“ NHAI project director Ashutosh Soni said.Barhi MLA Manoj Kumar Yadav had met Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari in Delhi in May and sought his intervention for the construction of flyovers.
