Mandya: In a bid to prevent road accidents around the VC Canal, crash barriers were installed along a 35-km stretch in accident-prone zones, said deputy commissioner Kumara.Speaking during a meeting held at the DC office here on Monday regarding road accident prevention measures around the VC Canal area, he noted that over the past two years, around 15 people lost their lives in accidents along these roads. To address this, a technical committee was formed, and a proposal seeking Rs 20 crore in funding was already submitted to the govt.The VC Canal area covers an estimated 540km, making it difficult to install barriers throughout the entire stretch. However, based on accident data, crash barriers were installed over 20km by the public works department and 13km by the irrigation department, he added. He emphasised that it would be better to allocate funds in advance for building crash barriers and undertake preventive measures as part of departmental budgets.In addition to crash barriers, scientific road humps, rumble strips, and traffic signboards are also being installed, as already instructed. He called for updates from the public works department, Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited, and Hemavathi Canal Division on the measures they have implemented so far. As most of the roads in the region fall under the jurisdiction of the Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited, he said a letter was written to its managing director requesting that accident prevention funding be allocated from the department’s budget.Additional superintendent of police Timmayya, executive engineer of the PWD Harsha, regional transport officer Hemavathi, and executive engineer of the minor irrigation department Shankar were also present.
