Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 19: Seven persons were killed and five others sustained grievous injuries when an overloaded Tata Sumo plunged into deep gorge near Shaitani Nullah on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway this morning. The tragic accident has brought to the fore inefficiency of the Traffic Police to check overloading of passenger vehicles, which is going on unabated right under the nose of cops in blue deployed on different locations on the highway.
The ill-fated Tata Sumo bearing registration number JKO2W-6212 was on its way to Srinagar from Jammu, when the driver lost control over the negligently and rashly driven vehicle. The Tata Sumo carrying five passengers beyond its sanctioned capacity hit several bounders before landing in the bottom of the gorge.
Five persons died on the spot while as seven others sustained injuries in the accident.
After getting information, police team led by SSP Ramban Randeep Kumar, Army personnel and locals rushed to the spot and started rescue operation. Three seriously injured persons were shifted to Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Banihal and later referred to SKIMS Srinagar, where doctors declared two of them as brought dead due to which death toll in the tragic accident increased to seven. Four injured were shifted to SDH Qazigund and they were discharged after treatment.
The deceased have been identified as Hassan Imam Shah (38), son of Qamiullah Shah, Farman Shah (30), son of Rehmat Ullah, Haroon Shah (35), son of Kamiullah Shah, Rasool Ansari alias Rais (37), son of Usman Ansari, Imamuldin (32), son of Qamiullah and Mohammad Mistri (25), son of Khushi Mohammad, all residents of Champaran Bihar and driver of the vehicle Mohammad Yousuf (32), son of Gulam Hassan Mir of Pampore, Kashmir.
The injured have been identified as Masiullah (25), son of Mustafa Miyan, Saif ullah (27), son of Mustafa Miyan, Irman Shah (29), son of Rehmatullah Shah, Feroz Khan (34), son of Zuma Khan and Zia-ul-Haq (22), son of Raufullah Ansari, all residents of Champaran, Bihar.
A case under FIR number 31/15 under Sections 279, 337 and 304-A RPC has been registered at Police Station Banihal and investigation started.
The accident has brought to the fore that despite repeated instructions from the Governor and Chief Minister the Traffic Police personnel deployed on different locations particularly on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway are not ready to perform their duties efficiently and are acting as mute spectators to violation of rules and regulations by the passenger vehicle operators.
Why the overloading of Tata Sumo was not detected at any of the checking point of the Traffic Police remains a million dollar question?. “Not only those cops deployed on the highway even officers, who are supposed to tighten noose around ineffective traffic cops are watching the situation as mute spectators for obvious reasons”, sources said, adding “allowing passenger vehicle operators to play with the lives of commuters by resorting to rash driving and overloading is a criminal act on the part of those at the helm of affairs in the Traffic Department”.
Meanwhile, Governor NN Vohra expressed grief over the loss of precious lives in this road accident. He conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved families and prayed for peace to the departed souls. He also wished speedy recovery to those injured in this accident.
As a new Transport Minister has recently taken over, the Governor has expressed hope that the required measures shall be effectively enforced to reduce the incidence of fatal road accidents.
Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed expressed deep shock and anguish over the death of seven persons in a road accident.
Expressing sorrow over the tragic loss of precious lives in the accident, the Chief Minister conveyed his sympathies to the bereaved families and prayed for peace to the departed souls. He also wished speedy recovery of those injured in the accident.
Chief Minister also issued directions to the Traffic Police Department to closely monitor the movement of vehicles and check over-speeding and overloading so that lives of people are safeguarded.
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