Absolute non-adherence
17/11/2019
Anyone driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac.” Several agencies particularly the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) in the dock over dreadful accident on Khellani-Goha-Marmat Road which claimed 16 lives, a Government team has noticed absolute non-adherence to the directives of the Supreme Court Committee and non-existence of road safety parameters.
All the recommendations made such horrendous accidents in the erstwhile Doda district in the past have not been taken seriously by the concerned authorities and merely treated as ‘trash’.
The team noticed that recommendations of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety were never paid serious attention as far as construction and maintenance is concerned and there is neither any parapet nor crash barrier at the spot from where the ill-fated vehicle plunged into gorge.
There is poor drainage network on the sides of the road particularly at the spot of the accident and this was one of the main reasons behind the tragedy. As per the directives of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, all the road safety parameters are required to be incorporated in the Detailed Project Report and then to be followed strictly at the time of construction of any road. However, most of these parameters were not taken into consideration in respect of Khellani-Goha-Marmat Road.
The road was built by the Roads and Buildings Department and then handed over to the PMGSY but some years back the road was further handed over to National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited for maintenance.
The NHIDCL despite being a fully owned company of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has failed to ensure strict compliance to the guidelines of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety. JOURNEY LINE has been highlighting the various issues relating to accidents from time to time but government is not paying any heed to the grave issue.
However the Kishtwar district administration has yet not formulated and submitted the District Road Safety Action Plan to the Road Safety Council despite the fact that large number of lives have also been lost in this district during the current year. It is to be seen whether causes behind the latest tragic accident would receive due attention of the administration of the J&K Union Territory.
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