Mohd Irfan
A horrible bus tragedy in the Jammu and Kashmir Assar area of Doda district has brought the issue into the limelight in regards to accidents that claimed previous lives in the hilly areas and the erstwhile Chenab valley is one of them where recurring accidents take place and the lives of the human being lost.
I’ll fated bus as per reports in the media divulged that it was overloaded and the preliminary investigation revealed that due to rash and negligent driving bus fell into the deep gorge claiming the precious lives of about forty in number. One of the media persons said that the bus had a carrying capacity of forty passengers but was carrying higher than its capacity which was fifty-six in number.
As it remained the practice that whenever accidents happened administration swung into action and ordered a probe into the cause of the accidents so that it came to fore what it led to a loss of human lives. This Chenab valley due to the tough terrain requires better road connectivity so that such types of accidents are minimized to a greater extent. Today’s accident has really shivers down one’s spine as several families suffered setbacks on account of losing their dear ones.
Whatever would remain the attenuating and mitigating factors for the cause of the accident but one thing is that it would be reprehensible as precious life gets lost. Money can’t bring peace and soothe the deceased family members but it’s just compensation that can provide them assistance so that they can’t face financial crunch for the time being.
It is out of place to mention here that PIL has also been filed in regard to the unprecedented rise in the number of accidents in Jammu province and the High Court of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh issued a slew of directions to the administration to take preemptive measures to keep check on the recurring accidents. Even in the pursuance of the HC order concerned authorities field detailed affidavits stating there is a manpower dearth on the hilly areas of the men in blue. The traffic department expressed their inability to deploy the manpower in every nook and corner of Jammu to keep check over the vehicles. Now, the moot question has arisen for sympathetic consideration as to what measures the concerned authorities have taken so far in order to curb such accidents on the hilly belts. Whether the concerned authorities show that in pursuance to the Hon’ble HC’s directions, they have complied with its directive and ensured that the Motor Vehicle Act compliance takes place? Whether crash barriers, parapets, and dividers have been installed on the road enroute to Doda district given the hilly terrain? Whether traffic men manning the different routes in the Doda district? Whether due to the absence of traffic men on Assar road that led to the cause of the accident, or was the driver facilitating the overloading of the bus? If a bus was overloaded then how come the same plied on the road? How come the Traffic department permitted this I’ll be fated to ply on the road. Whether this bus did not come under the scanner of the traffic department before the accident? Whether the bus condition right meaning thereby in a condition that it can ply smoothly? Whether the bus had a permit or not to ply on the road? Whether rash and negligence are the reason behind the cause of the accident or there are some other factors that need to be dwelt upon for which the administration needs to delve deeper into the brutal accident and which has become the talk of the town of this accident? Whether the driver of the bus fail to negotiate the curve due to over speeding resulting in the bus being met with an accident? Whether the road traffic?
Whether drivers possess the license to drive the bus? Till how much time do gullible passengers have to bear the brunt for no fault of theirs? As our Chief Secretary he is leaving no stone to ensure that the traffic scenario becomes much better and even chaired several meetings with the officers in order to plug the loopholes so that the masses could get a heave of sigh of relief from the recurring accidents. We pray to Almighty that those who lost their lives in this tragic accident get solace in their departed soul and gives courage to the family members to bear the irreparable loss.
