news details |
|
|
| Road accidents routine in J&K, high-tech Omar govt hapless | | Accountability withers! | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
JAMMU, Sept 13: Despite Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's assurances and utterances, accidents continue to take heavy toll of lives across Jammu and Kashmir.
Neither reprimand nor penalization has deterred the untrained and unlicensed drivers to continue with their killing operation. 24 people including twelve students were killed and more than 20 injured when a matador they were travelling in skidded of the road and rolled down to over 1000 feet on Srinagar-Jammu highway in Ramban district.
Officials confirmed that overcrowded vehicle (JK04B-0180) on way to Banihal from Ramban skidded off the road near Digdole in the Ramban and rolled down into over 1000 feet gorge after the driver of 26-seater lost control over the steering. 16 passengers on board the bus died on the spot while others succumbed to wounds in hospitals including GMC Jammu where they were airlifted for specialized treatment.
Injured are being treated, they added. Omar immediately took note of the incident, condoled it and even announced ex-gratia relief for those who lost their lives. But the larger picture is that the accidents speaks in volumes about how the state despite having a democratically elected head, continues to be headless. Authorities especially officers of various hues and shades have been given unbridled powers.
Accountability is the last word that they know. Such is the state of affairs that left hand does not know, what the right hand does. Traffic and police department boosts of having increased the routine number of challans but remain mum when asked about their failure to keep a check on frequent road accidents. Added to this callousness is the inability of Chief Minister to take action against the delinquent officers.
Despite being world famous tourist destination, Jammu and Kashmir is the only state where almost all the roads are both treacherous and accident prone. One sees no change on ground and after every road accident, macadamization is the only things that state does without wasting even for a fraction of second. Concrete planning is nowhere in sight and flip-flop policy is order of the day.
Minister for Transport may be Qamar Ali Akhoon but the roads department is with high-tech Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. If sources are to be believed, Akhoon spends most of his time with food supply department. He has left the transport department to the officers who spend most of their time and energy on completing the file work.
Field staff is both honest and arrogant but it is they who have to be credited with having issued driving licenses to these murderous drivers. A 600 to 800 meter yard is what transport department uses to access driving abilities of an individual. One is not required to drive thousands of kilometers for getting a driving license but a yard of 600 to 800 meters and in most cases, acquaintance with someone at the top helps.
Omar's government refers an officer as 'honest' if he goes by the rule book and corrupt, if he violates it. There are no other parameters. However, it is expected that Chief Minister should start spade work in both the Roads and Buildings department as well as the transport department, if he desires to see Jammu and Kashmir as a safe driving zone and tourist friendly state.
Though it is unexpected but you do not know about the programmes and plans of a Chief Minister who was assumed power without any agenda or in other words 'Common Minimum Programme'. He has been parroting that Jammu and Kashmir is safe destination and pleading countries across the globe should lift travel advisories to help tourism flourish in Jammu and Kashmir.
Those who travel daily on these hilly roads are tired of hearing long statements from the senior ministers and top officials of the state government claiming that they are constantly reviewing road safety measures and issuing directions to the traffic police and road construction authorities to maintain the road infrastructure to prevent road accidents.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
