Srinagar, Aug 29: High Court on Monday directed the Government to consider all the points raised in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Road Safety filed by Sajid Iqbal Foundation.
 “The Court directed the National Highway Authority of India that the Highway should be demarcated with signboards, glowsigns, and reflectors within three months,” Faisal Qadri and Nadeem Qadri, the counsels for the petitioner told Greater Kashmir.
 They said the Court also directed the state government to take measures for keeping available the medicare as also the ambulances on the highway round the clock.
 The division bench comprising Chief Justice, F M Ibrahim Kalifulla and Justice M H Attar directed the state to consider all the points raised in the petition after hearing the arguments of the counsels for the petitioners, State Advocate General, M Ishaq Qadri and counsel for the NHAA, S A Makroo.
 The foundation has raised various points due to which the Srinagar-Jammu Highway has literally turned into death trap for commuters as accidents happen along the national highway off and on, causing deaths of precious human lives.
 The petitioner has mapped out various drawbacks in the infrastructure and underlined the need for availability of round the clock medicare and healthcare on the highway so that after the road mishaps the loss of precious lives could be saved by the instant treatment of the accident victims. 
 The absence of critical care ambulances, and non existence of the specialized trauma centers on the National highway are responsible to cause deaths of the road mishap victims who succumb to injuries due to lack of the lack of treatment on time.
 Terming the trees which flank the Highway from Panthachowk Bypass to Qazigund on of the major causes for the accidents on the highway, the petitioner has prayed for a direction for the removal of trees fraught with danger.
 The foundation has raised various points for the improvement of traffic system in the valley, which are, demarcation of the roads properly so that the commuters at night can visualize as to what extent the road exists, removal of trees from the highway in order to allow free and easy, installation of proper lighting on the highway so as to enable easy, installation of glow signs and sign boards.
 Establishing an emergency contact numbers which would be toll free, proper highway patrolling at regular intervals 24X7, providing critical care specialized ambulances at the gap of 40 Kms each on the National highway.
 Establishing a specialized accident care hospital exclusively for accident related incidents, proper traffic lights in the city, establishing bus stops in the City and regulating the operators, formulating a comprehensive traffic management policy, including different traffic surveys.
 “One example of such a death is of noted lawyer and human rights activist, Sajid Iqbal.  According to eyewitnesses and media persons, the death of Sajid occurred after his vehicle rammed into a tree on the roadside’” said the PIL.
 In support of the contention that how vulnerable are the roads traversing across the valley , the foundation while relying on the medical reports said that 104 persons died while 1053 sustained injuries in traffic accidents across the valley in the first five months of this year.
 The report adds that most of the deaths had occurred along Qazigund-Baramulla highway with rarely any day without any accident being reported on the road. That the petitioner states that as per the media report, last year, 2010 in rural areas 1165 accidents were witnessed. A total of 182 people died while 1517 sustained injuries. In the same year in Srinagar 379 accidents were recorded with 55 deaths and 393 injured.
 As per the information provided on the website of the traffic department of the state of J&K, at least 5000 accidents have taken place resulting in deaths of 800 persons till date. This year also the toll has been alarming and in past few months as many as 100 minimum deaths have taken place due to road accidents.
 Referring to the accidents on the roads leading to Pahalgam that took lives of three youngsters after there vehicles fell in the adjoining Lidder river is also an indication that no such preventive measures or minimum standards of safety are provided by the state to its citizens.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 28 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 28 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:00:00 IST