RAHIM YAR KHAN, Feb 16: Over 100kms long RY Khan-Channi Goth road is a nightmare for motorists because of uneven surface, blind turns and traffic jams.

Running parallel to the national highway from Channi Goth to Chowk Bahadarpur, the road touches populous towns of Laiquatpur, Feroza, Khanpur, Kot Samaba and Rahim Yar Khan. As such, it is used by hundreds of buses, coaches, wagons and trucks everyday. Commuter buses plying between Karachi and upcountry destinations also use this route.

Till recently, it was used by long vehicles carrying goods because the national highway from Chowk Bahadarpur to Tarinda Muhammad Pannah had been under construction.

Blind turns result in frequent accidents. The December 28 crash involving two buses and a truck that left 30 people dead also took place at a blind turn near Sehja.

There are about 17 ‘fatal’ turns, with some of them at 90 degree, near Tarinda Sawai Khan, Chak 75/P, Wahi Juman Shah, Sehja, Dhareeja railway crossing, Chak 4/P bridge, Jetha Butha, Abaseen canal bridge, Feroza, and Liaquatpur. No effort has ever been made by the highway department to reduce the angle or take some other measure to avoid accidents. Even the roadsigns warning motorists are missing.

Traffic jams are frequent at Kot Samaba, Khanpur, Jetha Butha and Tarinda railway crossing. The bypasses of Khanpur and R.Y. Khan were built about 20 years ago and due to the lack of planning they have been encroached upon by residential and commercial structures.

A flyover is urgently needed near Tarinda to avoid delays in crossing the main railway track.

Jetha Butha sugar mills is also situated on this busy track. Tractors and trucks carrying cane block the passage during the crushing season lasting over three months. Traffic jams outside the mills last up to several hours.

To avoid the roadblocks, motorists do take the Pacca Laran-Allahbad route which is a shambles.

Though the highway department plans to widen and resurface the RY Khan-Channi Goth road in two phases in the near future, the answer lays in re-designing and dualization of the track.