A team of officers has been constituted by Deputy Commissioner Doda Vishesh Paul Mahajan on Tuesday to provide a detailed analysis of the reasons for major accidents that have occurred on different roads in District Doda in the last three years.
According to an order, a copy of which lies with The Chenab Times, the team shall be headed by Assistant Regional Transport Officer, Doda, and consist of the following officers: Representative of the Senior Superintendent of Police, Doda, not below the rank of Sub-Inspector, Representative of Superintending Engineer, PWD, Doda not below the rank of Junior Engineer, Representative of Deputy Superintendent of Police (Traffic), Doda not below the rank of DTI, Representative of General Manager, NHIDCL, Doda preferably an Engineering expert, Representative of GREF / PMGSY wherever required. Both the representatives shall not be below the rank of junior engineer as per their designation.
“The committee shall submit its report within a period of 21 days for onward submission to higher authorities,” it further reads. The order, bearing no. DCD/R/2022/945-52, dated 12/27/2022, was issued by Deputy Commissioner Doda Vishesh Paul Mahajan.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court on December 21 of this year directed the UT Government to constitute a committee of experts in order to ascertain the reasons for repeated road accidents on the Batote-Doda-Kishtwar Road in the Chenab Valley region and suggest measures to make the road accident-free.
The court order came after social activist Asif Iqbal Butt wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of J&K regarding frequent road accidents in Chenab Valley. In the letter, Butt urged to instal rolling barriers, which are helpful in preventing road accidents. Rolling barriers were installed in hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh in March this year, and these types of barriers have a 100-kmph speed absorption capacity.
Haseena Ayoob is a regular contributor of The Chenab Times.