Lack of wayside amenities endangers travellers along Mughal Road

Shopian, Oct 26: On June 27, 2019, a cab carrying 17 students from the Surankote area of Rajouri to Dobijan in Shopian plummeted 500 feet into a gorge along the high-altitude Mughal Road, resulting in the instant death of 11 students and leaving several others injured.

The incident occurred in Lal Gulgam area, 32 km from Shopian town.

It took a passing vehicle half an hour to contact the authorities about the mishap due to lack of mobile connectivity.

“The motorist entered the network coverage area in Heerpora village where he informed the authorities about the mishap,” said Mitha Gatoo, a prominent social activist from Shopian.

The 84 km Mughal Road connecting south Kashmir’s Shopian district with twin Rajouri and Poonch districts of Pir Panjal region is not only devoid of mobile connectivity, but also lacks crucial wayside amenities including restrooms, auto service fuel stations, and emergency medical facilities.

“A simple tyre puncture along the road can leave one stranded for hours,” Gatoo said.

The high-altitude Mughal Road project started in 1979, but it took decades to complete due to frequent halts and restarts on the work. Finally, a double-lane road was thrown open for vehicular traffic in 2012.

However, the roadside facilities have been completely overlooked, causing not only inconveniences to the passengers but also contributing to safety concerns along the road.

“It is dicey to travel along the road at night,” Gatoo said.

He said that in the event of accidents or any other emergency, the travellers are unable to call for help.

“We took up the issue with the authorities umpteen times, but our concerns were repeatedly ignored,” Gatoo said.

In 2013, the Departmental Related Standing Committee (DRSC) of the Legislative Council instructed the Tourism Department and other developmental authorities to provide wayside amenities along the Mughal Road.

Similarly, Advisor to Lieutenant Governor, K Vijay Kumar in May this year stressed developing the wayside amenities along the Mughal Road.

However, according to locals, nothing has been done so far. “The lack of such amenities deters tourists from taking this route,” a group of residents said.

They said that it had resulted in the loss of local tourism and business.