Rash driving, pot-holed road stretches lead to fatal accidents 

Ramban, Nov 15: The rising number of road accidents in three districts of the Chenab sub-region in the Jammu province has become a cause of concern for one and all.

On Wednesday, 38 precious lives were lost in an accident on Doda-Kishtwar National Highway 244, which official sources claimed was a result of negligent driving.

Negligent, rash driving; poor maintenance of vehicles and lack of checking by the concerned authorities besides violation of traffic rules on the highways and other roads of Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Reasi and Udhampur districts have emerged as the main causes of frequent road accidents.

Locals complain that the drivers flout all traffic rules brazenly, while the authorities simply turn a blind eye to these violations.

People maintain that the condition of the under-construction road stretches between Nashri to Banihal is deplorable; the road stretch is witnessing minor road accidents almost on a daily basis.

“Sinking of patches and huge landslides on Srinagar Jammu National Highway and Batote–Doda –Kishtwar Highway; ongoing widening and upgradation work of the highway stretches are also adding to the woes and further compounding the situation,” they point out.