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| Depts fails to take measures for curbing road accidents | | No takers of Govt directives | | Minam Saqib
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Feb 24: The departments, have failed to take measures to prevent road accidents so far.
"In July 2015, various Roads and Buildings, Transport, Police, Education, Health Department and local bodies were directed to work together for reduction of road accidents but nothing has been done by these departments," an official said.
The official said that government also set up a 'Lead Agency' to coordinate their activities to ensure road safety in the state. "Nothing has been done so far. Even these departments did not meet over the years to ensure coordination in their activities," the official said.
Official sources said the authorities have expressed their dismay over the rise in road accidents in the state and had pulled up several departments for their failure in taking measures in curbing road accidents.
The setting up of the Lead Agency was to streamline the functioning of these departments about the road safety since there has been an increase in road accidents over the years.
The State Road Safety Council has held only few meeting during the last so many years, which according to official sources shows the lack of concern of Council's members in curbing growing road accidents.
"There has been lack of coordination between these departments about the road safety. Government had taken a serious note of that and asked them to take measures to avoid traffic accidents. But these departments did not take any measures," the official said.
According to official figures, from 2011 to 2014 around 3960 people were killed across J&K and more than 30,000 people have been injured in over 20,000 road accidents.
In 2015, 917 people lost their lives in 5,800 road accidents. In 2016, 958 lives were claimed and over 7,700 suffered injuries in road accidents in the state.
J&K has witnessed 50 percent increase in traffic since 2008 but there has been least road widening over these years.
Sources said the government has failed to widen the roads as various road widening projects have been
About 5,000 new private vehicles are added to the roads in Kashmir every month and the state has now over 13 lakh vehicles with 6 lakh in the Valley alone.
Earlier, a House Committee under the chairmanship of MLA Kulgam Mohammad Yusuf Tarigami submitted its report in April 2012 and the panel had come up with a slew of recommendations to the Transport department, Traffic department, R&B department and other agencies concerned for curbing the growing road accidents.
Increase in number of vehicles, less road length, faulty roads, negligent driving and worn out vehicles are among the reasons seen for growing accidents in J&K, the Committee had said. "But there has been no implementation of the committee recommendations," sources said. |
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