Sunny Dua
The data about fatal accidents on Jammu roads including National Highway put forth by DIG Traffic, Jammu range Dr Haseeb Mughal is not only shocking but also indicative of the fact that we still don’t have safe roads which are continuing to consume precious lives especially that of youth. According to Haseeb Mughal about 600 people die in road accidents every year in Jammu region including on Jammu-Srinagar national highway alone and this figure on national level is about 1.60 lakh annually. He even went on to say that 5.5 lakh challans done last year and about 4.5 lakh challans issued till September this year too have not borne desired results with people continuing to violate traffic rules.
Very recently three young boys having lost their lives in Nagrota, Jammu accident and a young girl is struggling for her life after she was overrun by a bus in Srinagar, video of which is going viral on social media. Three boys were riding a bike in sheer violation to traffic rules at Nagrota and in another incident the girl, riding a two-wheeler suddenly came on the main road after which driver’s attempt also couldn’t save her as she was run over by the bus. This speaks of the fact that neither the citizens nor the concerned agencies are acting responsibly.
This pressing issue calls for a multifaceted approach to achieve safer roads in Jammu and Kashmir, starting with education, better infrastructure, and efficient collaboration across departments.
Building awareness through education, engagement
Road safety begins with awareness. Educating citizens-especially youth and new drivers-about the importance of following traffic rules can be instrumental in saving lives. Hosting seminars, distributing road safety pamphlets at vehicle purchase points, and conducting frequent debates in schools and colleges can make a significant impact. Engaging families who have lost loved ones in road accidents to share their experiences can create a compelling message that resonates deeply within the community.
Additionally, discouraging minors from driving and ensuring that driving licenses are issued only after proper trials and lectured on road safety is essential to building a responsible driving culture. Those who have been left disabled can also be roped in to let others know how a road-accident completely changes one’s life and how it can be prevented. This surely will leave an everlasting impact on the new drivers and road users.
Analyzing data, addressing violations
Effective road safety initiatives are rooted in data. Analyzing accident data to identify high-risk zones, common causes, and frequent violators is crucial. Creating a database of repeat offenders and implementing stricter penalties can help deter reckless driving. This data-driven approach can guide efforts to tackle the root causes of accidents, prevent repeat violations, and ultimately reduce casualties. In Jammu alone, the data of which has bene provided by DIG Traffic Mr Mughal can be used to identify why and where accidents are happening repeatedly so that concerned road construction agencies can be guided well to rectify roads to avoid accidents. There are innumerable points in Jammu which are accident prone but construction agencies hardly correct those wrongs leaving the road or blind spots accident prone only.
Designing safer roads
The Public Works Department (PWD), National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), and other agencies play a vital role in constructing safer roads, streets as well as lanes. Proper road markings, adequate lighting on city roads, and clear signage can guide drivers and minimize accidents. For example, adding proper dividers, reflective signboards, and guardrails on bends could mitigate the risk of accidents on hilly highways. Regular inspections of intersections, roundabouts, and T-junctions are necessary to ensure safety standards are met.
Most of Jammu roads especially in Gandhi Nagar are having very dangerous crossings which need to be set right. Some rotaries completely blind the drivers leaving no or little scope for them to drive safely. These can also be identified in a joint inspection of different departments so that roads can be made safer for drivers and commuters. Certain traffic signals don’t work or certain roads having no footpath pose danger for pedestrians which can be looked into as well.
The primary requirement for road safety is the construction of well-designed, secure roads that account for crucial factors like proper bends and banking. Each road stretch taken up for construction should be made completely safe before moving to the next, rather than rushing to cover every corner of the state with roads that are often incomplete or unsafe for travel. Roads shouldn’t just reach the premix level; they must also be marked, fitted with parapets, and equipped with appropriate signage before they are open to the public.
This approach is equally essential for city roads, many of which face issues like blind curves, frequent waterlogging, narrow carriageways, encroachments, lack of footpaths, and poor or absent road markings. These factors make urban roads dangerous and impede the natural flow of traffic. The narrow but highly organized roads in central London offer an excellent example of how Jammu or Srinagar could be structured to keep traffic moving smoothly without compromising on safety.
Managing public transport
Jammu’s public transport system especially those involving old minibuses, 52-seater old buses, tempo travellers which ply on inter-district road or autorickshaws are the worst mode of public transport in our city. Now that low floor air-conditioned buses have been introduced by Jammu Smart City, there had been little comfort for the commuters but other vehicles continue to overload, overcharge and even pose threat to lives of people by rash driving on state highways.
Restricting minibuses and auto-rickshaws to designated stops, enforcing passenger limits, and ensuring that all taxis are equipped with functional meters are essential steps toward a safer commuting environment. This is high time e commerce agencies like Ola and Uber are made to start their operations in both capital cities with provision if inter district and inter-state travels as well.
Meantime, till we get a metro like services, low-floor buses or web-based taxi services, the minibuses and autorickshaws need to be regulated even if some city roads are required to be made one-way or out of way. Public transport is the first thing that visitors use while arriving in Jammu or Srinagar but ill designed vehicles, modified seats to accommodate more than approved passengers, variable designs of buses both in terms of interior as well as exteriors, hazardous parking, taxis without meters and non-functional bus stands all pose a mysterious kind of travel system ubiquitous in the state.
Now that we have got smart traffic lights installed on almost all roads besides a well knit surveillance system in the shape of Close Circuit Tele-Vision (CCTV) cameras, cops in blue on city roads should be made to man highways that need a constant check with regards to rash driving, overloading, plying of unfit buses and even overcharging. In addition special classes to educate drivers and cleaners of public transport system must be started wherein they can learn about their responsibilities towards passengers and how they can be sensitive towards public while boarding them or alighting from their buses.
Inter-departmental coordination
Coordination between the traffic department, municipal corporations, J&K Housing Board, and transport authorities is key to effective road safety. Addressing issues like illegal encroachments, regulating parking, enforcing pollution standards, and eliminating road hazards must be approached as collective responsibilities. For example, encroachment on footpaths restricts pedestrian safety and impacts traffic, highlighting the need for routine checks by local agencies.
These fatal accidents, traffic jams, hap hazardous parking, noise and air pollution finally end up with authorities playing blame games. While traffic authorities accuse Municipal Corporations of allowing illegal constructions of banquets hall without parking spaces the later accuse system of pressurising them to allow such constructions. In between health department accuses people of being hostile towards them during accidents while people accuse traffic authorities for not checking overloading and allied issues that fall under their domain. In totality the blame game continues and more lives are lost on killer roads for no reasons.
Traffic Department must regulate vehicles, PWD should rectify roads, JMC must clear footpaths off encroachments, JDA should also remove encroachments, Pollution Control Board must check generators and industries emitting harmful gases, motor vehicle department needs to issue fitness certificates after scrutiny, automobile body builders must be warned against altering seats in public transport, PDD must relocating their poles and Transformers installed in streets and roads, banquet halls and hotels must be asked to manage parking and most primarily all illegal constrictions must be stopped henceforth if we intend to see some perceptible change in prevailing traffic as well as pollution scenario.
A simple audit from a road safety expert or National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) can enable those flashing their messages to learn how safe are our roads that have changed lives of lakhs of people from being ‘good’ to ‘worst’ due to accidents. To have a clearer view of road safety a simple chat with those affected, the real survivors or experts can also help drivers learn road sense and also enable government to adopt more serious approach towards safety concerns than observing these rituals involving children while caring least for the same lot during traffic week rituals.
Tragic accidents, especially involving children, women, and pedestrians, point to the need for pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, such as subways, zebra crossings, and regulated pedestrian lights. Educating both drivers and pedestrians about mutual road respect can reduce accidents. In cases of fatal accidents involving school children, implementing mandatory helmet laws and encouraging better road discipline among students are crucial steps.
A civilized commitment to road safety
The journey to safer roads is a shared responsibility. A combined effort by the Government, local authorities, drivers, and communities can end the needless loss of lives due to preventable road accidents. Still ironical is that even city roads where traffic moves at snail’s pace witness deaths in multiple numbers what to talk of highways especially hilly ones that have seen more blood on them than bitumen.
People are also required to understand that driving sense requires giving way to smaller vehicles and pedestrians first and not have a ‘might is right’ kind of attitude. To recall a few incidents from amongst the unaccounted number of deaths three children had some time back lost their lives in Reasi, eleven people on board a superfast bus were killed in Poonch, a newly-wed couple was killed in Baramulla, thirty five people lost their lives in Kishtwar accident, eleven students of a private computer centre, mostly girls, were killed near Peer Ki Gali in Poonch, sister of a former minister killed at Bathindi crossing, two friends were killed at Asia crossing and a young girl Kritika Khanna lost her limb at the same crossing.
Did we ever care to ask about wellbeing of crippled people, did we ever care to know plight of families left behind those killed, did we ever fix the guilty, did we ever punish anyone for negligent driving, did we ever train drivers and taught them to respect lives or did our engineers ever rectified roads that caused accidents? Answer to these questions in most cases come in negative. Like the Government comes out with data of fine collected, there should also have been a data of people suffering.
Still worst are trollies that are towed by tractors which actually are meant for agriculture purposes. Most of these tractor trollies are used for mining. This is sheer negligence that needs to be tamed. And as a tribute to lives lost on city roads of Jammu and Kashmir and apathy of those who are waiting for more blood to be spilled on roads before they actually build safe roads here I quote Faiz Ahmad Faiz, “tujh ko kitnoñ ka lahu chahiye ai arz-e-vatan, jo tere ariz-e-be-rañg ko gulnar kareñ, kitni aahoñ se kaleja tira Thanda hoga, kitne aañsu tere sahraoñ ko gulzar kareñ (How many sighs will soothe your heart, How many tears will cause your deserts to bloom?).
(The writer is senior journalist)
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