More than a month has elapsed when the House Committee, constituted by the State Legislative Assembly, submitted its report to the Government. The Panel was constituted in the backdrop of increasing road accident on Jammu-Doda road with the terms of reference to examine the causes of frequent accident and corrective measures that the Transport Department would take. The Report has not dealt with only road accidents on road to Doda but has taken the entire issue of road accidents in the State into consideration and a holistic approach while making some serious and concrete suggestions. It is a matter of great concern that the frequency of accidents along the mountainous roads in the State is on the rise. Fundamental reforms are needed in the existing rules and procedures and a new approach to the problem. How long can we allow innocent lives to be wasted and families rendered destitute? There is no movement at the level of the Transport Department about implementation of the recommendations made by the Panel. The Minister for Transport has taken shelter behind the awaited report of M/S RITES to whom it has approached for advice. But what is the difficulty with the department if it issues orders that have nothing to do with financial implications and are strictly meant to enforce a code of conduct like medical check of drivers, authenticity of driving documents, overcrowding, loading passenger buses with loads at the top and so forth an so on. It is a mystery that the department is not interested in issuing simple orders of enforcement of patent rules of running a passenger bus on these roads.
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