Deaths in road accidents don’t head to any dead end in almost all the states and Union Territories of the country and more so in Jammu & Kashmir. The rise in road accident deaths are equally horrific both on the highways maintained by the Border Roads Organisation and National Highway Authority of India (NHIA) and also on roads maintained and developed by J&K R&B department in Jammu & Kashmir. Though violation of driving rules is a bigger cause of unprecedented rise in road accident deaths both on the express highways and as well as other roads connecting district headquarters with town and villages but much bigger cause of road accident deaths is the bad condition of roads mostly dotted with potholes which often change into death traps for the travelers. Unfortunately the roads are not developed and maintained with the seriousness they should have been development maintained by J&K R&B Department, J&K Economic Reconstruction Agency (J&K ERA) in Jammu & Kashmir. Even the highways maintained and developed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) are not maintained and developed upto the standards. Looking at the failures in the maintenance and development of both the express highways and as well as roads connecting district headquarters with towns and villages the fault obviously lies on the government agencies tasked the job of regulating the maintenance and development of roads across Jammu & Kashmir. Allegations are galore that the concerned authorities don’t pay heed to the public complaints about bad condition of roads even if brought to their notice in either R&B department or National Highway Authority of India (NHIA) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO).Though Governments both at the centre and as well in states and union territories of the country are embarking on online grievance redressal systems but neither the central government controlling National Highway Authority Of India (NHAI) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO)nor the J&K Government controlling R&B department and J&K Economic Reconstruction Agency (J&K ERA) has launched any portal for redressal of grievance on maintenance and development of roads in Jammu & Kashmir.
Since Potholes are usually caused by movement of heavy traffic and water flowing from mountains on highways like Jammu-Srinagar, Srinagar-Leh and Mughal road, the use of quality material and working of a strong grievance redressal system is the only way to raised the standards of the maintenance and development of such roads.
Never forget that better maintenance and development of roads is the only way to improve the safety of travelers on both express highways and as well as road connecting district headquarters with towns and villages. By all standards of understandabilities a strong public grievance redressal system is must for a strong and quick response to public complaints on maintenance and development of roads. Since Potholes are usually caused by movement of heavy traffic and water flowing from mountains on highways like Jammu-Srinagar, Srinagar-Leh and Mughal road, the use of quality material and working of a strong grievance redressal system is the only way to raised the standards of the maintenance and development of such roads.
