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| Killer curves claim 15 more lives | | Condolences pour in, no probes ordered | |
ET REPORTER
Jammu, June 16: Ceremonial condolences have poured in from top to bottom of the government but introspection and no investigations have been ordered as the killer Highway has taken yet another toll of 15 innocent lives in a gruesome accident.
At least 15 persons are reported to have been killed and half a dozen other injured as a passenger bus went off the road rolling down into a gorge off Banihal on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway this afternoon. The accident occurred on Magarkote area of Banihal as driver lost control over the steering at a sharp curve. Mini bus bearing registration number JK 02G 5529 was on way to Banihal when the mishap occurred, said a Police spokesman.
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and Transport Minister Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen and dozens of other ministers and leaders of have expressed their grief over the accident but no probe has been ordered to find out the causes of mishap.
The accidents on the National Highway and on many other roads of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly Jammu, region have become an order of the day. The government is yet to come up with a comprehensive strategy to cope up with this increasing cause of civilian killings on the roads.
Bad roads, rickety buses and lack of enforcement or traffic rules has led to a rise in road accidents in Jammu and Kashmir. During the past six months nearly 200 people have been killed and over 500 wounded in the road accidents across Jammu and Kashmir.
Many security personnel too have been killed in these road accidents. Most deaths took place when the buses or vans in which the jawans were travelling rolled down on the 300 km long Jammu-Srinagar national highway.
Rash driving under the influence of liquor has contributed to the accidents which are higher in Jammu region than the Kashmir valley.
Official sources confirmed reports that the number of vehicles in terms of population and area in the state had reached a saturation point. During the past two years over 90,000 new vehicles, buses, cars, trucks and other light vehicles have been added to the already heavy fleet. The total number of vehicles registered in the state is about three lakh.
The steep rise in the number of vehicles is not in pace with road development works which have remained tardy. As a result of an acute cash crunch, the state government has not been able to renovate, expand and rebuilt roads, especially in hilly areas.
Most of the hilly areas are connected by bad roads which also accelerate the rate of accidents when passenger vehicles with mechanical faults operate on such routes. Experts say more than 30 per cent of the road accidents have been the result of failure in brakes or instant mechanical fault. Another reason is overloading. Passenger buses and matadors are overcrowded and the drivers find difficulty in negotiating curves and alignments.
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