Chatrapur: Two young women lost their lives in separate road accidents on the busy National Highway-16 on Thursday, sparking anger, protests, and renewed calls for stricter road safety measures.
In Bhadrak district, Shradhanjali Panda, a student of Bhandaripokhari College, died when a sand-laden tractor allegedly hit her from behind while she was on her way to the campus. The impact was so severe that she was crushed under the vehicle and died on the spot. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Enraged locals and college students immediately blocked NH-16 for about five hours, demanding the arrest of the tractor driver and strict action against those driving negligently. The protest caused a massive traffic jam, leaving hundreds stranded. Police officials later spoke to the protesters and restored traffic. Bhandaripokhari IIC Rajlaxmi Behera said that an investigation has been launched. District Collector Dilip Rautaray, who was in the area for a meeting, handed over Rs 30,000 to the victim’s father from the District Red Cross Society. Meanwhile, in Ganjam district, another fatal accident occurred on NH-16 at DRDA Square in Chatrapur, where a container truck heading towards Andhra Pradesh allegedly hit a scooter from behind. The collision threw J. Swati, who was returning to Berhampur with her father after finishing work at the Ganjam RTO, onto the road. She died on the spot in front of her father, who narrowly escaped. Police have detained the truck driver and seized the vehicle. A case (763/25) has been registered, and the body was handed over to the family after a post-mortem examination. Several fatalities have been reported on the Chatrapur stretch of NH-16 in recent months. Earlier this week, a biker from Balasore died near Science College Square, while in August, a schoolgirl was crushed to death by a truck at the same DRDA Square.
Locals describe both intersections as “death traps” and are continuously demanding a flyover and 24/7 traffic policing. Following Thursday’s incident, Ganjam Collector V. Keerthi Vasan and SP Suvendu Kumar Patra visited the accident site and instructed the consultancy agency to expedite the ongoing highway construction work. These two accidents have intensified calls for immediate road safety measures on NH-16, where the rising number of fatalities is causing widespread concern across Odisha.
