Plea to review move to limit NH width

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has urged the State government to approve the development of the National Highway road corridors to a width of 45 metres as specified by the National Highway Authority.

A press note quoting IMA State president Dr. Sreekumar Vasudevan and secretary Dr. J. Rajagopalan Nair said the heavy traffic on the roads in Kerala, the need to transport essential goods from the neighbouring States and the increased freight traffic generated by major projects like the Vallarpadam terminal demanded a 45 metre width for highways in the State. It called on the government to review the all-party decision to limit the width of the roads to 30 metres in view of the public resistance to land acquisition.

�Kerala has a high record of vehicular accidents, mainly due to the poor condition of the existing roads. It is time the government convened an all party-meeting to discuss the issue and evolve a consensus that would be acceptable to the public at large, it said.

The press note warned that the failure to review the all-party decision on limiting the width of the highways would catapult Kerala to the top position in the accident rate and lead to heavy loss of life