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| Widening of Banihal-Ramban stretch turns Srinagar-Jammu NH into death trap | | People lose lives, authorities unmoved | | Jehangir Rashid
Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Apr 12: The 294 kilometers long Srinagar-Jammu national highway has virtually turned into a death trap with accidents occurring on it on frequent basis. The matters have been made worse by the widening at some stretches on the highway.
Reports said that widening of road in areas like Banihal, Panthal, Ramsu and Ramban has put the lives of people at risk travelling on the highway. With boulders coming down on regular basis there are chances that any vehicle can come under the same at any time. The same has been witnessed in the recent past with people losing their precious lives.
Last week (April 3) 23 years old Barik Hilal Degloo died after his private vehicle (Bolero) came under a boulder that came down rolling near the Digdol area. Barik, a resident of Gouripora, Sanat Nagar-Srinagar died on spot while his friend also a resident of Srinagar sustained critical injuries in the accident.
The accident occurred at around 11:30 PM on April 3 while the duo was on way to Jammu from Srinagar. The impact of the boulder was such that the tyres of the vehicle were flattened and there was a huge blast. This accident is one of the unfortunate incidents that have taken place on the highway in the recent past.
"The widening of the highway in the 36 kilometers stretch between Banihal and Ramban has virtually turned the highway into a death trap. You never know when a boulder would come down from the mountains and crush any vehicle. No precaution is taken during the whole process of widening and the same is dangerous," said Ali Mohammad, a driver who frequents between Srinagar and Jammu.
Ali Mohammad said that over the past few months he had many miraculous escapes while driving on the highway. He said that the boulders come down at any time and thus pose threat to the lives of the travelers. He added that the traffic police personnel are not seen anywhere in the stretch that has turned into a death trap.
"There is no accountability on roads whatsoever and worse is the case on Srinagar-Jammu national highway. I had a miraculous escape on Sunday while I was heading towards Jammu from Srinagar. As soon as I passed by many boulders came down rolling thus causing damages to many vehicles. Luckily there were no casualties," said Mohammad Rizwan, a private employee.
Most of the people traveling on the highway on frequent basis said that the authorities should have erected huge nets that could have stopped the falling of boulders on vehicles while causing fatal casualties. They said that necessary precautions would have meant that people at helm are concerned about the well being of common masses.
"Erection of nets should be done by the concerned authorities at the earliest otherwise there are chances many people may fall prey to the highway in the name of development. The traffic police personnel need to pull up their socks so that precious human lives are saved," said Rizwan. |
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