By Alex Guite
LAMKA, December 8: The serious concern raised by Churachandpur district`™s obsession, rather romance, with speed breakers comes to the fore only when there are reports of casualties caused during accidents because of them. Nevertheless it remains a concern with the rapidly rising number of vehicle in the district.
Although accurate statics is not available at the moment, there are supposedly more than 500 speed breakers in Lamka town alone with the number rising.
Above the safety concern, these traffic stoppers which resemble boulders being placed on the road are responsible for unnecessary fuel consumption as vehicles have to slow down and shift gears. Most speed breakers are unidentifiable to the naked eye as there are no markings to indicate them, although it should be as part of safety measures.
Many, but not all speed breakers in the town are placed near schools for the safety to students crossing the roads, and other places of choice.
However, there are still many which are placed at the whims of some individuals which remain unexplained and on many instances have been detrimental to safety of motorists as they are neither marked nor constructed according to specifications which indicate that the wide of such speed breakers should be proportionate to the height of the speed beaker.
It is also pertinent to mention that the concerned departments `“ Transport, district, contractors, etc. seem to be passing the buck to one another regarding the responsibility to regulate the safety specifications in the construction of such speed breakers. At the same time no one seems to mind that it is in fact illegal to construct such speed breakers along national highways. Speed breakers are also not permitted even on regular roads without the permission of the concern district magistrate.
As was reported earlier by this same correspondent, speed breakers are being used as a status symbol in the town today.
This is an unwanted and a dangerous trend and creates much disruption to ambulances and other public services which have to move fast.
Passenger auto-rickshaw drivers have also complained much against the unnecessary constructing speed breakers. One such driver plying through Zomi Colony said there are minimum seven speed breakers along his route.
Surprisingly the chief of Zomi Colony on getting a complaint about the speed breakers, had allegedly said if you are not comfortable with our speed breaker don`t ride in our locality.
However, the obsession of the colony with the speed breakers is not an isolated case in the district.