Death on the roads

B L Saraf
This is a story which has been narrated so many times by so many. Thanks to the unabated death dance on the roads of J&K, it will continue to be told again and again, and will never sound repetitive . It will go on, as long as we are destined to quench the thirst of roads with the blood of our near and dear ones. As usual, the story falls on deaf ears of our Rulers. Yet another road accident and the same routine unfolds. Half a dozen passengers got killed and more than fifty persons received injuries when the bus, they were travelling in, met with an accident on 10th instant, while it was on way to Zahand from Doda. On 14th January about twenty unfortunate travelers lost their lives in a tragic vehicular accident that occurred in Ramnagar. True to the ritual, we hear nauseating and quite repetitive statements of the politicians and the administrative authorities ” No one will be spared, the guilty will be punished severely.” Roads in our state, particularly in the hilly areas have, indeed, become death traps. A cynic would say that road accidents have consumed more lives than the three decades old militancy has devoured. The lack of purposefulness is writ large on these bombastic statements. It is time to tell these Sir Jis that it is not given to them to punish the guilty. It would be better for them to concentrate seriously on their job; which is to act fast on the investigation, collect actionable evidence and manage proper prosecution of the case, with the help of an efficient prosecutor who is just not a political appointee. Fix the responsibility on the erring traffic and road management agencies and bring in accountability to the system.Then leave the job of punishing the guilty, severely or lightly, to the court which will act positively on the evidence admissible on the parameters of law . More often than not the authorities fail in their duty. With the result the culprits roam free.
Traffic chaos has taken a turn for the worst. Not only that the rural populace has to bear the brunt, the rage we see on the roads in the capital cities of the state is indicative of a disaster that is waiting to happen. There is mayhem on the city roads. The so called four lanes have shrunk into the bye lanes. With impunity, their both sides have been encroached upon by all and mighty. One has to have a look at the busiest places in Jammu and Srinagar cities to see how the car show rooms, workshops, marriage halls and small vendors have grabbed whole of the road space in utter disregard for the municipal laws and the town plan. What appalls is that this happens under the vey nose of those who thunder to ” punish the guilty.”
Long traffic jams, yelling and shouting by the drivers on the roads has become a routine. We don’t see traffic police at the places they are supposed to be to regulate the movement. But when they spot a lal Bati wallah they suddenly sprout on the roads as mushrooms do in the forest on the first Spring thunder. Then they want everyone to disappear from the scene just to make way for the VIP. These ‘servants of the public ‘have no shame when they refuse right of a passage even to an ambulance carrying a dying person to the hospital. The burgeoning tribe of VIPs have added to the public woes. For that good reason, suffering people feel better off in absence of the ” popular rule.” Less the number of Lal BATIS less the public nuisance. Then, we have a number of marriage halls built everywhere in the Jammu city. Some of them are very close to the cremation grounds. In a blooming marriage season, which extends to three fourths of an year, the roads to the cremation ground get choked so much that even a funeral procession is not allowed space to pass through. How will one describe the society which does not have respect for a person who is on his last journey. A decadent or ….?
We observe traffic week every year or so but refuse to learn anything, because nobody wants to learn. The malaise stands diagnosed long back but no step has been taken to cure the diseases. Road condition in the state is pathetic. Master plan and urban planning have gone for a toss. Casual approach in issuing driving licenses in disregard for the M V Act, rampant overloading, plying of over aged passenger vehicles are some of the reasons for the fatalities on the roads. Traffic management is not a week’s business. Round the year effort is called for. Half hearted measures won’t do. This is one business where public -private partnership, in equal proportion, is required.
(The author is former Principal District & Sessions Judge)
feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com

Follow our WhatsApp channel