Balasore, Jan 8: Balasore witnessed fresh unrest on Thursday after an alleged illegal sand-laden Hyva truck rammed into a scooter near Belpal under Jaleswar police station limits, leaving a woman critically injured and prompting an immediate road blockade by angry locals.

According to preliminary information, the Hyva was reportedly heading to collect sand from an illegal stockyard when it hit the scooter from behind and ran over it. The scooter rider, identified as Mita Dey of Patana village, sustained grievous injuries in the impact.

Eyewitnesses said the truck was moving at high speed during daytime hours, raising serious concerns over unchecked illegal sand transportation in the area. Following the collision, Mita was found in a critical condition at the spot. Local residents rushed her to a hospital in Jaleswar, from where she was later referred to Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital in Balasore due to her deteriorating condition.

The incident sparked outrage among residents, who alleged that frequent movement of sand-laden Hyva trucks during the day has turned the stretch into an accident-prone zone. Protesters blocked the road, accusing the administration of failing to act against illegal sand mining and transportation despite repeated accidents and warnings.

“This accident is not an isolated case. Illegal sand transport has become a daily menace, and people are paying the price,” locals alleged during the protest.

The crash comes amid alarming road safety statistics in Odisha. Data presented in the Odisha Assembly on November 28 revealed that the state recorded 27,167 road accident deaths over the last five years, averaging 5,433 fatalities annually. During the same period, 50,041 people were injured.

Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena had informed the House that Odisha reported 56,830 road accidents between 2020 and 2024. Except for 2020 -- when pandemic restrictions reduced fatalities to 4,738 -- annual deaths have consistently remained above 5,000.

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To address road safety, the state government spent Rs 89.73 crore on various initiatives between 2020–21 and 2024–25, besides disbursing Rs 23.17 crore as financial assistance to accident victims under the Solatium Fund Scheme.