[ST7677]

Originally Posted by julupani

I am sorry to say this, but whoever advised you seem to think that the whole of east India, at least Orissa and Jharkhand, is completely and utterly infested with Maoists, with the probability that there is one hiding behind every tree, with a stolen police rifle, ready to kill any outsider who comes by.

You have practically considered the whole of Orissa and Jharkhand as unsafe at night.

None of the stretches you have mentioned need be avoided at night because of Maoist influence.

Around Cuttack!!! Which happens to be a sister city of the state capital, is not at all unsafe at night in anyway. Please, lets not spread any such misconceptions based on complete speculation. If anything please go by advice of localites.

Possibly, all this is secondary research. Most of the above information is gathered from the other threads on Team-bhp. I think Chatisgarh and West Bengal have more severe Maoist issue than Orissa and Jharkhand. I also mentioned in my first post that Maoists generally do not trouble tourists. But I have nothing to prove or to defend, I just shared what I could make out of the information available out there. I myself did take your inputs before planning this trip.

Personally I can vouch that Jamshedpur to Kharagpur route is unsafe (more coming up later in the travelogue) and so is the route via Purulia (my relatives car was looted few months back on this route). Also remember reading carjacking incident on NH5 around Cuttack on team-bhp.

The day I left Bhubaneshwar, it was bund declared by (maoists?) in 3 states, and the hotel staff advised me to be cautious and stay along with traffic. I didn't see or face any issue due to this though.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by ST7677

Possibly, all this is secondary research. Most of the above information is gathered from the other threads on Team-bhp.

Personally I can vouch that Jamshedpur to Kharagpur route is unsafe (more coming up later in the travelogue) and so is the route via Purulia (my relatives car was looted few months back on this route).

Also remember reading carjacking incident on NH5 around Cuttack on team-bhp.
The day I left Bhubaneshwar, it was bund declared by (maoists?) in 3 states, and the hotel staff advised me to be cautious and stay along with traffic.

Neither Jamshedpur, Kharagur nor Purulia are in OR, they are in JH and WB.
I read about more carjacking episodes in Bangalore city than the one isolated incident in OR. Should we also declare Bangalore city as unsafe for motorists?

I have never had a problem in OR so far.

[gajadonga]

@Night_Hawk You are right, lack of bypass makes the ride through vijayawada city tiring and time consuming on account of heavy traffic.

Is there any better option to bypass Vijayawada while on NH5 ?


What HVK sir says is correct.
When the bypass was built it was away from the city, now as the city has grown the bypass is within the city now.
Atleast from Ongole side you have a bypass towards Vizag from Hyderabad side there is no bypass and you have to cross the city.
When I studied in Vijayawada (1985) this bypass was just a dual carriage way
and isolated after 7pm only lorry traffic(nostalgic).

[ST7677]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Neither Jamshedpur, Kharagur nor Purulia are in OR, they are in JH and WB.
I read about more carjacking episodes in Bangalore city than the one isolated incident in OR. Should we also declare Bangalore city as unsafe for motorists?

I have never had a problem in OR so far.

Not to argue with the guru of Indian roads, but sir, when did I say that Jamshedpur, KGPR or Purulia fall in OR?

I agree, carjaking incidents do abound on Bangalore roads, and IMO it certainly helps to be aware when traveling on those routes at night.

[julupani]

Originally Posted by ST7677

Possibly, all this is secondary research. Most of the above information is gathered from the other threads on Team-bhp. I think Chatisgarh and West Bengal have more severe Maoist issue than Orissa and Jharkhand. I also mentioned in my first post that Maoists generally do not trouble tourists. But I have nothing to prove or to defend, I just shared what I could make out of the information available out there. I myself did take your inputs before planning this trip.

Personally I can vouch that Jamshedpur to Kharagpur route is unsafe (more coming up later in the travelogue) and so is the route via Purulia (my relatives car was looted few months back on this route). Also remember reading carjacking incident on NH5 around Cuttack on team-bhp.

The day I left Bhubaneshwar, it was bund declared by (maoists?) in 3 states, and the hotel staff advised me to be cautious and stay along with traffic. I didn't see or face any issue due to this though.

That is what has made me even more shocked. Because I never mentioned anything about any of the areas that you mention as being Maoist affected.

Whatever it is, the "secondary research" that you have done is completely wrong. Please take care, like I said earlier, to back up this "secondary research" by "primary research" by asking somebody who has considerable driving experience in the area, or locals of the area.

[Rajesh1968]

Hi,

Keen yo read more on your trip.

Is the Windscreen coating and Body coating better than #M, how would it cost to ship it or is at available locally in Bangalore

Regards,

Rajesh

[ST7677]

Originally Posted by julupani

That is what has made me even more shocked. Because I never mentioned anything about any of the areas that you mention as being Maoist affected.

Whatever it is, the "secondary research" that you have done is completely wrong. Please take care, like I said earlier, to back up this "secondary research" by "primary research" by asking somebody who has considerable driving experience in the area, or locals of the area.

I agree however I spoke to others also, who were not so positive.

If you Google there are news of truck drivers being abducted and mercilessly slain on some of these routes (specially in WB). If you go a step further and look up local news there are enormous number everyday incidents involving Maoists and thugs. Some routes are so bad that there are no train or road traffic allowed by administration in these areas at dark hours (first hand experienced)! So please do not question my research. Of course all areas (like NH in OR) are not as bad, I just shared the list which I made up for myself, of areas where people have reported incidents, that's all.

Security and safety is one such thing where few incidents are enough to shake perceptions. Also different people have different levels of tolerance, what might be normal for one, may not be normal for other.

I don't want to argue on this, I have only reproduced what perception I got after reading posts on T-bhp, talking to few BHPians and locals, exploring local news. I appreciate and thank you for your inputs on this and any reader is open to do his own research to confirm situation on his route, anyway these keep changing with time.

I have nothing more to add on this.

[amitwlele]

I think a fair amount of posts have been exchanged on this topic.

Can we please move on to the remaining part of the TL? Humble request from a avid TL reader.

[ST7677]

Day 2 – about 550+ km
Started next day morning at planned 7am. We had a short distance to cover today. By 10:15 we crossed Ichchapuram and within 10 mins we reached the infamous AP-OR border where we met a long long jam. I was expecting this and was prepared, as soon as I saw the truck queue I took a U turn went back to the first cut in the divider and moved to the other side of the road. This is an accepted practice by local private vehicles used to cross the border. Within 10 mins we were in OR, the truck queue measured to be 3.64km long!

First rains of Monsoon Greets us






First glimpse of Chilika Lake from the NH5 Highway

The NH5 GQ is under construction between railway crossing near Rambha to the railway crossing near Barakul (along the Chilika lake) and we had to go through narrow roads passing through the village. It would be fun to travel on this section of the railway track as the track follows the boundary of the Chilika lake. The lake is mind boggling 64kms in length, and is the largest coastal lagoon in India, second largest in the world. It is also the largest wintering ground for the migratory birds on Indian-Subcontinent.
We had planned to go for a boat ride into Chilika lake for Dolphin Spotting (yes this lake has lots of Dolphins), but by this time early monsoon rains had started and we had to drop the idea.

Before reaching Bhubaneshwar we took a deviation at Khorda to go towards Konark directly. The road is decent till Pipali but with lots of speed breakers, after Pipali the road is good.
We got stuck in Jatini. At one point on Khurda-Jatini-Pipali road in Jatini, you need to take a slight right & then left turn into a parallel underpass to go to Konark, while the main road straight enters into local market. The GPS couldn’t differentiate between the two parallel adjacent roads and showed we are on track. So we missed this and went straight into the market. As we proceeded the market became narrower and narrower to a point that we got stuck. We couldn’t proceed further or go back (there were some 50 two wheelers honking behind us). The situation was worsened by haphazard parking. I got down and shifted some parked two wheelers to make way for the vehicles stuck behind. My wife got down and eased the traffic behind. Disappointingly not even a single local person offered to help. Finally after some 20 mins of circus (which seemed like hours at that time) we found a lane through which we could escape from the mess, go back to the previous junction and take the correct route!!! Costed me two long deep scratches on the LHS of the car. :(

Anyway we were glad that we escaped, it could have been much worse, and proceeded with our journey towards Konark. We reached there at 4:30pm about an hour ahead of schedule (the buffer planned for crossing the border was saved) and were planning to have a relaxed view of the Sun temple at Konark. I had always wanted to visit this place, it had been a long pending desire. First time I had been here was when I was 2.5 yrs old and all I could remember were few b/w photographs of myself. The intricate carvings in rock have a strong magnetic pull on me, be it ruins of Hampi, or Halebidu or caves of Badami or Ellora, they are all so mesmerizing.

[amitwlele]

Originally Posted by ST7677

Day 2 – about 550+ km
I was expecting this and was prepared, as soon as I saw the truck queue I took a U turn went back to the first cut in the divider and moved to the other side of the road. This is an accepted practice by local private vehicles used to cross the border.

You mean the private vehicles actually go from the wrong side of the road to cross the border? Then what about oncoming traffic?

Sorry to read about the scratches on the vehicle.

[julupani]

Well basically one side of the road become a old style 2-lane highway, while the other lane is jammed by trucks waiting to get their permits. Remember, the trucks on the other side of the border are waiting too, thus its not like you have a lot of traffic coming the other way, as can be seen above.

And a small correction, its Pipili and not Pipali.

[noopster]

Wow this is an unusual travelogue if I've seen one. Great pics as well! Keep posting.

The Civic is such a pretty car, inside and out, and that red shade (Habanero?) looks positively sexy.

I appreciate the sentiment behind avoid driving at night with family around especially if the secondray research you conducted indicated that some areas were more prone to danger than others. It is a rational act that any reasonable person would commit- no need to agonise over whether you are hurting any sentiments in the process. But it's good that experienced travellers on those routes are confident that there is no significant risk attached to it, helps future travellers as well!

My friend did a motorcycle trip from Mumbai via South Gujarat to Orissa in the aftermath of the Godhra riots, a trip for which I was invited (with my then ride, an Accent) but for reasons I can never fathom I declined. He is now in the process of publishing his travelogue (not online, I mean- as a book). Someday I will do the West to East trail!

[ST7677]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

You mean the private vehicles actually go from the wrong side of the road to cross the border? Then what about oncoming traffic?

This is not as bad, as Julupani rightly mentioned because speeds are slow and there are virtually very few vehicles.


What is bad is that, in many parts of NH5 there are many places where you suddenly see vehicles coming from wrong side at full speed, without any warning signal.
In addition to that there are also many places where the NH is not fully done and you again need to take the diversion to the wrong side.

The problem is that if there are not many vehicles coming on wrong side the people going in right direction are not aware that the other lane is closed and they can expect traffic coming head on!

The diversions as it is are very poorly marked, and then there are no markers when to go back to the correct lane. Some times I saw vehicles continuing on wrong side because they are not sure if the correct lane is ready to use.
Few times I went into the correct lane only to find it blocked ahead and to take back a U turn.
This problem happens because in many areas even though the other lane seem to be complete in all aspects, it is not open for use (for some reason).

Originally Posted by noopster

The Civic is such a pretty car, inside and out, and that red shade (Habanero?) looks positively sexy.

Yes I completely agree. It is even today a great head turner. Still brings smile to my face every time I see it or sit in it
In fact, the present edition is even better than the new edition recently launched

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by ST7677

This is not as bad, as Julupani rightly mentioned because speeds are slow and there are virtually very few vehicles.


What is bad is that, in many parts of NH5 there are many places where you suddenly see vehicles coming from wrong side at full speed, without any warning signal.
In addition to that there are also many places where the NH is not fully done and you again need to take the diversion to the wrong side.

The problem is that if there are not many vehicles coming on wrong side the people going in right direction are not aware that the other lane is closed and they can expect traffic coming head on!

The diversions as it is are very poorly marked, and then there are no markers when to go back to the correct lane. Some times I saw vehicles continuing on wrong side because they are not sure if the correct lane is ready to use.
Few times I went into the correct lane only to find it blocked ahead and to take back a U turn.
This problem happens because in many areas even though the other lane seem to be complete in all aspects, it is not open for use (for some reason).

Yes, very bad. Someone I know took the diversion near Bhalugaon where the rail line crossing is, and went off track by getting lost in some village roads, that is how bad the signages are in some places!!

[julupani]

The problem in most of these areas is that the contractors who were to make the roads have completed their job and shut shop. But the bridges and culverts are yet to be completed. But the bridge contractor doesnt bother to put up a diversion at the closest available cross-over points. Thus the in-experienced drivers of the route have to just guess as to where to go most of the time. The best thing is to try and spot the closest bus, because they know the route well and know exactly which section is complete and which is not.

Believe it or not, there is officially less than 15kms of GQ left to be completed in Orissa. But all of them are is scattered in sections as small as less than 100metres, causing large sections of the highway unusable.

Though all bridge sections north of Bhubaneswar are set to be completed in a month or two time. While everything south of Bhubaneswar in Orissa is set to finish only by year end. Though by year end, 6-laning work will be on in full swing north of Bhubaneswar. As of now you may have seen extensive earth work to extend the roads by another lane.