Dhimbam ghat road traffic hit for 8 hrs

Sources said the lorry, carrying fertilizers, was headed to Hassan in Karnataka from Cochin in Kerala. The vehicle developed a fault and halted at a sharp turn in the fourth hairpin bend of the hill stretch around 7 am.

Police said the axle in the front wheel of the lorry, driven by Mustak (45) from Chamarajanagar in Karnataka, broke down while making the sharp turn.

Following this, vehicles from both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka started piling up on either side of the road for several kilometres.

Police stopped vehicles at Hassanur and Sathyamangalam check posts from further proceeding towards the ghat road. Erode Collector C Kathiravan, Superintendent of Police Sakthi Ganesh, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve Field Director Naganathan and Deputy Director Arun Lal inspected the Bannari check post to take stock of the situation.

Officials claimed that goods-laden heavy vehicles were banned from plying on the ghat road during night hour since January 1 to avoid frequent mishaps on the stretch. Restrictions were also enforced on the movement of lorries during day hours, an official said.

In a bid to prevent similar incidents in the future, District Collector Kathiravan said the road near the check post area will be broadened and a weighing bridge will be set up to prevent heavily-loaded vehicles from proceeding on the road.

“A centre median will be constructed and facilities would be developed for lorries to halt at night,” he said.

The traffic was restored around 3 pm, nearly eight hours after the incident. The stuck lorry was moved after the officials engaged a earthmover.