Road agencies race against time to cover up city's ‘black spots' from SC safety panel
The renewed urgency comes after months of delay, prompting some senior traffic officials to remark that such visits should occur more frequently to ensure timely action.
In preparation for the committee's visit, members of the district road safety committee, led by district collector Kaushlendra Vikram Singh, conducted an extensive inspection of key black spots and traffic congestion zones across the city on Monday ahead of the visit.
A senior traffic officer said that traffic police identified 16 accident-prone "black spots" across the city based on a detailed analysis of road accident data from 2022 to 2024. Traffic police had suggested immediate, short-term, and long-term rectification measures that needed to be taken. Still, either only the immediate or the short-term measures have been implemented at most of the spots, and long-term measures, which include road engineering corrections, are pending.
TOI highlighted the issue around a month ago too.
According to traffic officials, many of the black spots highlighted this year were flagged in previous years as well. However, only temporary fixes were made at a few locations, while the core safety issues continue to go unaddressed at the sites.
No Cameras At Square In Atal Path: City's Deadliest Urban Junction
Platinum Plaza Square, or Atal Path Square, was identified as the most dangerous urban black spot in Bhopal, with eight deaths reported in 16 accidents over the last three years.
Despite being a high-risk area, only the dysfunctional traffic signals were repaired before the Global Investor Summit. Proposed speed control measures were pending. But, just before the arrival of the committee, a speed breaker strip (plastic) was put up.
However, there are still no cameras fitted at the square to monitor over-speeding, and commuters can be seen violating the red light.
Khajuri: The Deadliest Zone in 2024
The Indore-Bhopal Highway stretch between Bhainsakhedi village and Phanda Square in Khajuri was declared a black spot this year.
There is a blind turn that needs to be rectified. Cops recommended widening the highway, constructing service lanes for local residents, and building underpasses for both vehicles and pedestrians.
As of now, only minor steps like road markings and signage installations were carried out at the site here. Traffic officers maintained that the road handles traffic equivalent to an 8-lane highway, but it's narrower than a two-lane road.
Nishatpura Black Spots Also Unattended
Two major accident-prone areas in the Nishatpura zone—Best Price Trisection and the stretch from a hospital to a Mall—continue to remain unaddressed. Though the construction agency claimed road widening and improvements were sanctioned and would be resolved soon, visible action is awaited.
Gyarah Meel: Second Deadliest Black Spot But Most Work Unfinished
With seven fatalities in 10 accidents on a 500-metre stretch over the last three years, Gyarah Meel ranks as the second deadliest spot.
Traffic police suggested a road divider, speed breakers, and signage to separate the highway and service road—most of which were pending implementation except for some minor measures taken.
The area also suffers from rampant wrong-side driving, with drivers using the wrong lane to save fuel, risking lives in the process. There are still multiple cut points in the road divider on Hoshangabad Road, which, according to traffic cops, need to be closed.
No Clear Left Turn At
Govindpura Turning
It has been identified as a black spot for the past eight years. Major rectification measures were taken in 2019. After that, only minor steps were taken. The major issue of clearing the left turn is pending as it needs the widening of the road. The land belongs to BHEL, and permission to increase the width of the road is pending approval. Left turns have not been cleared at stretches of road at Ratnagiri Trisection, 1250 Square and Gurudev Gupt Square in MP Nagar Zone-I as well.
'Long Term Measures At Spots Still Pending'
In charge DCP (Traffic) Basant Kaul said that the construction agencies concerned have taken immediate remedial steps at most of the black spots for rectification, and long-term measures are still pending. They will be done as and when approved. The district collector has reportedly reviewed the measures taken.
The progress report will be shared with the Supreme Court's Committee on Road Safety during their visit.
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