20 hours Ago By Arpit Basu
JAIPUR: The fatal highway accident involving an LPG tanker and a truck near Bhankrota spotlighted Friday the absence of crucial cloverleaves to facilitate smooth entry and exit between NH48 and Jaipur's Ring Road. These remain unfinished four years after the southern arm of Ring Road Transport Corridor was inaugurated in Nov 2020, forcing vehicles to take dangerous U-turns at Bhankrota and Mahapura, which have become accident hotspots. NHAI officials said the tragedy could have been averted if they were in place.
"We designed specific U-turns in 2019 to avoid accidents, but they haven't been implemented even temporarily in anticipation of the cloverleafs being built," an official said. Without the cloverleafs, motorists heading to Jaipur Ring Road from Ajmer must take a U-turn near Bhankrota, while those moving from the Ring Road to NH48 make a similar U-turn at Mahapura crossing. Both stretches have registered more than 10 pileups in recent years.
Friday's accident occurred when an LPG tanker was negotiating the Bhankrota U-turn. NHAI project director Ajay Arya cited land acquisition issues and problems with contractors for the delay. "From 2020 to 2022, we waited for local authorities to remove encroachments.
Then we awarded the tender to a contractor. Work proceeded slowly for a year, but the contract was dissolved due to financial issues. Two months ago, a new contractor was appointed and a new deadline was set for March 2026," he said.
A local said, "Mahapura crossing and the U-turn at Bhankrota are mishap-prone. Every other day, there are minor accidents. In Oct 2022, a fuel truck overturned at the same spot.
" Arya said, "We have turned the U-turn at Bhankrota into six lanes and placed signage. Either of the two vehicles involved in the accident must have violated the signal, leading to the collision." Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India .
Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword ..
