The Mughal Road, which connects Pir Panchal region with South Kashmir and is an alternative to Jammu-Srinagar national highway, has devoured 34 lives in 26 road accidents in last three and a half years between Bufliyaz and Pir Ki Gali.
The historic road was used by Mughal emperors to reachKashmir.
The proposal to revive The Mughal Road was mooted couple oftimes between 1950s to 1990s but its actual construction started in October2005 and after missing several deadlines, the road was finally constructed in2009. A two-lane road for all kinds of vehicles was opened in 2012.
It starts from Bufliyazchowk falling in Surankote tehsilarea of Poonch district and after passing through Pir Ki Gali it reachesShopian district where it ends.
Pir Ki Gali is regarded as the central point of road whichfalls at the border of Shopian and Poonch districts.
The road passes through tough mountains especially atRattaChambMorh, MansarMorh area between Bufliyaz and Pir Ki Gali area with onlyeight temporary shops established by some locals on the stretch.
Amid the mesmerising beauty of Mughal Road, fatal roadaccidents of vehicles have always remained a grave risk on the road as absenceof mobile telephone network and any health institution renders and accidentvictims vulnerable.
As per details with Greater Kashmir, in the jurisdiction ofSurankote police station from Bufliyaz to Pir Ki Gali, five accidents took place in 2016 resultingin death of nine persons while in the year 2017 nine person lost their lives infive road accidents.
Similarly, ten person got killed in nine road accidents in2018 while in the first six months of 2019, six persons lost their lives infour accidents on the road.
Pertinent to mention here that a major accident had takenplace on June 27 this year in LalGhulam area located between Pir Ki Gali andShopian in which eleven persons lost their lives while six others sustainedinjuries who are still under treatment.
Sources within the administrative setup told Greater Kashmirthat the absence of mobile network on the road between Poshana and Heeroporaleads to delay in receiving information of accidents and subsequent delay inrescue operation takes its toll.
Alongside, sources said, there is not even a single hospitalon the road between Heerpora and Chandimarh and the only source of aid is anarmy checkpost at Poshana.
“You cannot infuse even an injection to any accidentvictim unless he is taken to Heerpora in Shopian or Chandimarh in Surankote andmore than seventy kilometres of stretch is devoid of health facility,”sources said.
Not only this, sub district hospital Surankote, which is themain hospital in Surankote area, is devoid of specialised services and most ofthe patients with injuries are referred to Rajouri or Jammu which furtherdelays timely medical aid for patients.