news details |
|
|
| Batote-Kishtwar road turns into a death trap | | |  Early Times Report
BHADERWAH, Sept 3: The 110-km Batote-Kishtwar highway is turning into a death trap. The shocking statistics about number of deaths due to traffic accidents has outnumbered fatalities due to militancy in erstwhile Doda district in last few years.
Jammu and Kashmir is accident prone and the fatality is higher than many states of the country. Newspapers are replete with stories about accident deaths.
Successive regimes have done very little to arrest this trend. For years, people at the helm of affairs have turned a blind eye to this burning issue and practically did nothing to take action against the negligent elements within the administration nor addressed the root cause of these tragedies. The roads in most of the hilly areas of the state have become death traps. Every year hundreds of lives are lost in road accidents on narrow roads of hilly Chenab valley. The highest number of road mishaps takes place in Chenab valley region of Jammu comprising three districts of Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban. The commuters in Chenab valley continue to be at the receiving end as hardly, there is a month when a tragedy of greater magnitude does not take place on the Ramban-Doda-Kishtwar road."While moving on this highway, we remain under a constant threat of falling stones and landslides. We do not know when a stone will fall on us. It is like a death trap and we often go through it," said local of Doda and Bhaderwah to this media person .The authorities have been seen sitting as mute spectators while number of accidents has been escalating over the past few years in this region. Aggressive driving, driver fatigue, over loading, poorly monitored traffic regulations, and non-existent road markings and signs are some of the common causes that are responsible for these deadly accidents. The rise in road traffic without well-suited increase of road network has also been one of the factors responsible for traffic mishaps. Moreover, a highly corruption riddled administrative set up has only encouraged a system of 'hafta vasooli' (graft) by the traffic police personnel who allow such blatant violation of rules in allowing bus operators to overload their vehicles.
The government should give due priority to this vital issue and take tangible steps in this regard. Improved traffic engineering, enhanced traffic management operations, appropriate enforcement and rigorous road user education programs can definitely reduce the number of accidents and make available safer roads for the people. The existing traffic laws should also be reviewed to make them more stringent.
It is also notable to mention here that with every road accident in erstwhile Doda district, the government promises some remedial measure. But it forgets the promise soon till another accident wakes it from the slumber. Bad road maintenance and lack of law enforcement are the main causes of the high number of accidents.
Road accidents kill 13 people in India every hour. The country reports the highest road fatalities in the world. India's killer roads account for more deaths than any other single cause, from terrorism to natural disasters.
Every day, about 250 people die in road accidents, or an astonishing 1,14,590 each year. That's a horrific number and even more horrific considering that the majority of fatalities are the sole earning members of their families: 85 per cent are male and 70 per cent are in the working age group of 30 to 59 years. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
