Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 12: Though the entire country is perturbed over alarming trend vis-à-vis loss of lives in road accidents, the concerned authorities in Jammu and Kashmir are acting as mute spectator to the people regularly falling in the jaws of death in the length and breadth of the State. The height of non-seriousness on the part of such authorities can be gauged from the fact that they are even unaware of the explicit directives issued by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and reiterated at many forums a number of times.
The trend of road accidents in Jammu and Kashmir is also quite disturbing like in other parts of the country as not a single day passes without our eyes watching the horrors emanating from the accidents that occur on the roads. Even the official figures paint the situation vis-à-vis loss of lives in Jammu and Kashmir as more alarming that many other States of the country.
In 2012, a total of 2214 accidents took place only on the National Highways in the State killing 498 persons and rendering large number of others injured. Similarly, in 2013, 432 people lost their lives in 2161 accidents on the National Highways, the official figures said. The number of accidents on National Highways as well as other roads of the State is much more.
As far as causes of all the accidents (on National Highways as well as other roads) are concerned, majority of tragedies on the roads are taking place due to the fault of the vehicle operators.
According to the data, in 2012 a total of 4350 accidents took place due to the fault of the drivers while as 335 mishaps on the roads occurred due to fault of the pedestrians. Factors like fault of drivers of other vehicles, poor light condition and neglect of civic bodies in maintaining roads were the causes for 1915 tragic accidents.
Likewise, fault of drivers led to 4251 accidents (on National Highways as well as other roads) in 2013 while as other causes led to 1782 accidents. Pedestrians were responsible for 325 accidents.
Though these figures are matter of concern for the Union Ministry of Road Transports and Highways but the top brass of the Transport Department continued to remain un-concerned despite the fact that they have a major role to play in checking this disturbing trend. Their non-seriousness is notwithstanding the fact that even first citizen of the State—Governor N N Vohra has, a number of times, expressed anguish over failure of the authorities concerned to take all possible steps to check unabated road accidents in the State.
According to the sources, Union Ministry of Road Transports and Highways, keeping in view the alarming trend of road accidents, had asked the Jammu and Kashmir Government to set up State Road Safety Council and District Road Safety Committees to address the issue of road safety based on four Es vis-à-vis road safety—education, enforcement, engineering (roads as well as vehicles) and emergency care.
“Though Road Safety Council was constituted during the tenure of Madhav Lal as Chief Secretary of the State but the fate of this Council is not known even to the top brass of the Transport Department, who were otherwise required to make it fully functional to achieve the objectives behind its constitution”, sources said while disclosing that District Road Safety Committees, which too have an effective role to play in containing road accidents, have yet not been framed.
Moreover, State Road Safety Policy, which is required to act as guiding force, has yet not been prepared and establishment of driving training institute(s) remains a distant dream.
“In such a situation, an inference can easily be drawn that those at the helm of affairs don’t want to check the road accidents and rather prefer to act as mute spectator to the people regularly falling in the jaws of death”, sources regretted.
When contacted, Secretary to Government, Transport Department, Bipul Pathak said, “I don’t exactly recall as to whether the Road Safety Council has been constituted and when it last met”. He too expressed ignorance about framing of District Road Safety Committees.
Dilshad Khan, Transport Commissioner, when approached, said, “I don’t have any knowledge about this aspect”. She, however, said, “we are organizing Road Safety Week every year as per the directions of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways”.
How improvement in situation can be expected when top brass of the concerned department remains ignorant about important directions and guidelines? sources asked.
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