Preventing accidents

Plans are afoot to erect bio-fencing along the state's 45 accident prone spots:

Vipul Goel

Various authorities in Uttarakhand have come together to prevent accidents by taking up bio-fencing along the state's accident prone highways. The forest department, the department of transportation, public works department and the district administration have now identified 45 places that are prone to such frequent accidents. The highways entwine steep hills and rescue operations become difficult when vehicles fall into gorges. Officials said they aimed to plant bamboo saplings for 50 to 100 meters on the roadside, which will grow into a natural hedge.

"This is an accident-prone zone, if a vehicle falls it goes deep down into the gorge. To stop such accidents we are making this bamboo fencing. We are planting healthy rhizome bamboos at five feet from each other. After one or two years it will grow into a natural hedge and work as a fencing," said K.C. Tiwari, the forest range officer of Nainital.

Officials said the project would be implemented in two phases, with an emphasis on 45 accident-prone areas. "In the first phase we have selected two routes, one is from Haldwani to Bhawari which is a hilly road and other is Haldwani to Nainital via Kathgodam. On the whole we have selected 45 such accident-prone areas in which we are going to establish bio-fencing of 50 to 100 meters," said Parag Madhurkar, divisional forest officer and bio-fencing project in-charge, Nainital. Dendrocalamus Strictus, a strong and superior quality of bamboo is being planted, which fully grows up in two to three years.