Though work on incomplete sections of four lane Jammu-Srinagar highway on Ramban-Banihal track are being completed in set deadlines but still life of travelers on this only surface link between Jammu and Srinagar continues to be a risk as deaths of travelers on the vulnerable sections of highly like Panthal are reported day in and day out. While the completion of the four lane Jammu-Srinagar highway will most likely take some more time, the rise in the frequency of road accident deaths on this only surface link between Jammu and Srinagar is a matter of greater concern and as such demands immediate attention and intervention of the traffic police regulating the traffic on this highway. For reducing the increasing frequency of road accident deaths it is for traffic police to stop the trends and tendencies of rash driving, over speeding, overtaking, lane-changing and drunk driving, which are believed to be the main causes of unprecedented rise in road accident deaths on Jammu-Srinagar highway . With incessant rains triggering landslides week after week and consequently throwing huge challenges to motorists on Ramban-Banihal track, the decisions of traffic police to allow the movement of traffic after suspending it till the clearance landslides and stone shooring for the safety of travelers’ matters the most. What merits a mention here is the fact that none else than the Chief Secretary Dr Arun Kumar Mehta during a high level meeting in March this year directed traffic police to submit daily reports about the actual time taken to reach from one Jammu to Srinagar and also enhance their personnel on all the damaged portions of this highway for better traffic management. While the Chief Secretary directed traffic police authorities not to let the traffic come to halt due to any hindrance by improving the road surface damaged due to weather vagaries at all costs for smooth movement of the vehicles on this highway, the damaged portions of the highway from Ramban to Banihal are still in the condition they were during the chilly months of December and January last winter.
Even after taking a traffic holiday for a day every week on the Highway for making some crucial repairs and completing few essential works for making travel on this road a pleasant experience for the travelers, the traffic management is yet to improve the way Chief Secretary wanted it to improve.
While onus of curbing roadside parking on this highway by taking stringent actions against the violators lies on J&K Traffic Police regulating traffic on this highway, the traffic police is yet to deploy it’s inspection teams at busy places like markets as per the directions of Chief Secretary and consequently the improvements in traffic management on Jammu-Srinagar highway are nowhere visible either in vulnerable parts of incomplete Ramaban-Banihal track or other tracks of highway the work on which has been already completed . Even after taking a traffic holiday for a day every week on the Highway for making some crucial repairs and completing few essential works for making travel on this road a pleasant experience for the travelers, the traffic management is yet to improve the way Chief Secretary wanted it to improve.
