SHAFQAT SHAHEEN SHEIKH
Sorry to say , But it’s true that , in this longitudinal era we are not treated as humans as we are living on that planet where politics is being runned over precious lives. Few days ago , tragic accident over Mughal road killed a dozen of innocent lives among which 9 girls were below 24 year old who have just entered in adults life. Beside this , Kishtwar witnessed major tragic accident where more than 35 innocent precious lives got killed among which a baby child was below 45 days old . From last several years, series of road accidents claimed thousands of innocent lives in Chenab Valley and its adjoining areas. On 01 July 2019 tragic heart wrenching accident in Kishtwar witnessed killing of 35 passengers among 16 received serious injuries and more than 4 received minor injured is one in the series of accidents that took place in Keshwan area of Kishtwar district in Chenab valley. The reasons are not far to seek with regard to these accidents.
A bitter truth cames in forefront that maximum R&B Ministers of State remained from Chenab Valley but unfortunately what we get from them is only the bloodbath on inter-district routes . It is black day for Kishtwar in Chenab Valley and good day for our political representatives for showing their sympathy toward this tragic accident are expressing their condolences on social and print media.
The deficient services has been leading to rash driving and worse condition of road resulting in accidents every now and then in Chenab valley. The passengers travelling in buses and other commuter services have lost their lives for no fault of theirs as they were just commuting on the roads as per their daily requirements. In most of the cases, accidents have been attributed to over-loading and bad condition of road. In some cases, the buses and other vehicles that have fallen into Chenab river have not been traced and the passengers also remained untraced for months together. Some of the bodies were sadly recovered from Chenab river tens of kilometres downstream after many weeks. The spate of accidents in the recent past were also caused by dilapidated road conditions and some of the roads are not traffic worthy just like interdistrict roads of Kishtwar and Doda are the glaring example of worse condition of road.
The Government and its agencies wake up to the situation only after some major accident has taken place that depicts during 2011 – 12 during the resigm of NC Congress headed by Omar Abdullah as Chief Minister of State constitutes a team under supervision of M Y Tarigami to check out the root cause of increasing traffic accident in Chenab Valley . The detailed report was submitted but till day no initiative was taken out and every upcoming day we are losting precious innocent lives.
The Government agencies go into deep slumber after announcing half-hearted measures to check the number of accidents and promises to improve the road conditions as well as the commuter services. Everything is forgotten once the anger of the people goes off after a weeks or months. No Government in the past has bothered to improve the commuter services for the convenience of the people living in far flung areas when dependable and reliable transport operations totally are missing in the chenab region.
“Inter district routes of Chenab Valley is so having so thirst of precious lives resulting the happening of traffic accidents in a daily routine due to sinking of slides as no precautionary measures are not yet taken since long that results increasing of traffic accidents day by day due to negligence of administration and untrained drivers. Beside this the worse condition of all roads in Chenab Valley is the main cause of accidents, that had untimely killed many precious lives resulting someone to became widow, orphan and had broke the stick of old parents”.
Opinioning the fact , from last several years I Shafqat Shaheen Sheikh { Freelance Journalist, Columnist and Human Right Activist } came to see that untimely death of precious lives had broke the ray of hope of his/her old parents and young childrens. Roads in Chenab Valley seem to have turned killers with accidents claiming more lives than the violence in state. As per sources available that , militants have killed 550 peoples in encounters while as traffic road accident have killed more than 900 innocent lives during 2018. Every day fatal accidents take place on Jammu Srinagar, Jammu Poonch , Jammu Kishtwar Highways including Chenab Valley and other periphery roads claiming dozens or more lives . This scene continues to be happen on our roads, with authorities seen doing little or nothing to improve the conditions of roads or penalizing drivers for rash and negligent driving. The figure of road accidents are huge, but ironically the response of state government in checking the naked dance of death on the roads is too little. The representatives of Chenab Valley are watching dance of death on the roads.
Despite taking the necessary steps in stoppage of traffic accidents traffic police is also playing game with precious lives by collecting corruption ( Hafta ) from transporters and drivers. Witnessing the scene of traffic authorities some corrupt officers in chenab valley had put black spot on traffic police department who receives newspapers from drivers as corruption. Meanwhile like corruption in traffic police, condolence messages of political representatives , Civil societies and NGO’s in chenab valley had became their habit and others as they are waiting for happening of accident. Raising the issue various times from past , PMGSY authorities are continually harrasing me as I have filed a complaint in Jammu and Kashmir Governor Greviencie Cell that the investigation is going on. The complaint was filed online over issue of Dunadi Bunjwah KewaPull Kither road in Kishtwar district where JKPCC withdraws more than 10 crores without execution of proper work and authorities hushing up the issue are continually harrasing me and asking for compromise the matter that needs administration attention.Unfortunately within months together traffic accidents over Doda Kishtwar roads including ” several tragedies” and others such incidents shakes me badly as many precious lives became prey of these accident. In one of such tragedy in Doda and Kishtwar scores of passengers were killed as they all were unknown for such causes.
It is bitter truth that , as soon as after the incident of traffic accidents happens political representatives circulated their condolence messages and expresses sympathy with bereaved families. They also demanded ex-gratia relief for knith of beavered families. One thing hurts me so badly that soon after such incidents , I see the condolences messages circulated by various political leaders on tragic incident and demanding exgratia relief and free medical treatment to injured ones .
“Being a citizen of Republic India I asking from all all so called representatives and every citizen of Chenab Valley, Who is responsible behind traffic accident” ?
“‘While expressing my personal views, “One Voice of Chenab Valley” , Demanded to lodge FIR under section 302 against PMGSY Kishtwar, ARTO Kishtwar, Health authorities Kishtwar, Traffic Police Kishtwar and Political Representatives who are responsible for Keshwan Kishtwar tragedy? It is time to join hands to file PIL in Hon’ble High Court Jammu against the authorities who are responsible and killer of precious and innocent lives.” There is Need of hour to file FIR under section 302 against all such legislatures, politicians and administratives who are playing dirty game with chenab valley residents . As during election rallies they made big promises with voters but reality differs to its fiction after election results without fulfilling the demands of poor masses . From last several years thousands of precious lives were killed in road accidents due to slide prone areas , violation of traffic rules, overloading , rash driving , running of ill fated vehicles and lack of proper transportation but unfortunately state government failed in meeting the cause of accidents and taking war footed steps to ensure better road connectivity in whole chenab valley and rest other regions of state. The entire roads of twin district’s are turning into a death trap”‘.
For years, people at the helm of affairs have turned a blind eye to this burning issue and practically did nothing to take action against the negligent elements within the administration nor addressed the root cause of these tragedies. The roads in most of the hilly areas of the state have become death traps . Every year thousands of lives are lost in road accidents in Chenab valley. The highest number of road mishaps takes place in Chenab valley region of Jammu comprising three districts of Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban. “While moving on this highway, commuter remain under a constant threat of shouting stones and landslide is like a death trap and we often go through it,” The authorities have been seen sitting as mute spectators while number of accidents are happened daily basis.
Comprising of twin districts including Doda and Kishtwar , all the inter-district routes had become accidental routes as no check point is made is to curb the overloading , rash driving , use of mobile phone while driving , and others . This valley had lost precious lives in traffic accidents and since with in a month every single day became prey of precious lives in accidents . Though all representatives of twin districts stand responsible for such sudden incidents as they had never raise or took such measures to stop traffic accidents in Chenab Valley beside they are busy in expressing grief and condolence to bereaved family. There is need of traffic check points on every 5 kilometres in twin districts and need of hour to create post of SSP Traffic for District Doda and Kishtwar then who looks for traffic mechanism for this huge landscape. The need is to guage Batote to Kishtwar Highway along with all routes of Chenab Valley on Block Level and running of SRTC buses to meet out the causes of accidents. The main cause of accidents is overloading and rash driving that needs to be checked at every check point with in radius of 5 km . Inter-district routes of Chenab Valley became death-trap as the area comprises on trio districts that needs personal intervention of Hon’ble Governor of Jammu and Kashmir.
The rise in road traffic without well-suited increase of road network has also been one of the factors responsible for traffic mishaps. Representatives and authorities need to put their heads together to come out with some corrective measures which can result in saving hundreds of precious lives lost otherwise in avoidable road accidents.
As most of the accidents are blamed for rash and negligent driving. For this government should rise to the occasion, and initiate such measures which can make a difference on the ground so as precious lives can be saved.
“Touseef Khalid Sheikh , Social Activist who today was part of rescue operation in Keshwan Kishtwar Accident wrote on his social media site that, “Accident which took place today in Keshawn area of district Kishtwar claimed more than 30 precious lives which is very hurtful but the scenes from that village was more disturbing and heart wrenching, when He along with rescue team visited a family women were mourning there that, “ Assai Gow Garea Khalea” , that there is no one left in our home and at another place two kids were crying and saying , “Soun Papa Kati Gow” thatwhere is our Papa, and the thing that shocked my heart into pieces was when I saw a dead body of a woman lying down on stretcher and the dead body of her child in the lap of a women sitting next to her dead mother. How long we can become the victim of such tragedies. Touseef Khalid wrotes, Who is responsible for all this ? Government, Administration, Civil Society, Political Leaders or We Peoples Ourselves?. No one cares not even me that phrases “ Jis Tan Lagay Saow Tan Janay ”. May Allah grant highest place in Jannah to those who lost their lives in this tragic accident and give strength to bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss.”
Various philtrophist across Chenab Valley including Adv Majid Malik , Tasleem Wani, Touseef Khalid , Junaid Malik, Baber Farooq, Danish Iqbal, Mohammed Shafi Mir, Suresh Kumar, Anzar Ayoub, Bhupinder Singh, Mubashar Hussain, Touseef Malik, Sadaket Malik , and others expressed their heart wrenching grief on tragic accident and demanded personal intervention of Hon’ble Governor Shri Satya Pal Malik and DGP Shri Dilbag Singh to file FIR under section 302 and order a magistrate inquiry and termination of all such authorities who stands responsible for such tragedies and also create post of SSP Traffic for twin districts and check out the ground cause of accidents happening in every upcoming day.
It is need of hour to be united without any discrimination and politics to file a PIL in Hon’ble High Court and to take war footed measures shall be taken in maintenance and restoration of all interdistrict routes of Doda are Kishtwar so as commuters shall feel safe during their journey .
{ The author is victim of such tragedies and is Freelance Journalist Columnist and Human Right Activist from Kishtwar Jammu and Kashmir and can be reached at shafqatshaheensheikh@gmail.com , 09419974577 , 09018920786 }.
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