J&K High Court Constitutes Expert Committee To Investigate & Mitigate Road Accidents On NH-44, Mughal Road

A bench comprising Chief Justice Kotiswar Singh and Justice Moksha Kazmi Khajuria directed that the committee shall comprise a Professor from IIT Jammu specializing in Road Safety, an Engineer nominated by the Chief Engineer SAMPARK, an Executive Engineer nominated by the Chief Engineer PWD(R&B), Jammu, and Prof.(Dr.) G.M. Bhat, an acclaimed expert in Land Slides on National Highways.

The Expert Committee, under the coordination of the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, appointed as the Nodal Officer, has been tasked with visiting and inspecting vulnerable sports on these Highways to address the root causes of the frequent accidents.

The Expert Committee is expected to submit its findings by the first week of February 2024.

Today's order builds upon a prior directive from December 20, 2022, where the High Court had directed the UT Government to form a Committee of Experts to investigate repeated road accidents on Batote-Doda-Kishtwar Road in the Chenab Valley region.

The bench had then instructed the installation of rolling barriers/steel pillars on curved roads and the submission of an Action Taken Report (ATR) on the subject.

These directions arose from a letter petition by social activist Asif Iqbal Butt filed in the latter part of last year highlighting the increasing road accidents in the hilly terrain of Chenab Valley.

The Court, recognizing the gravity of the issue had combined it with an existing PIL related to road accidents on the Mughal Road and Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed was subsequently appointed as Amicus Curiae.

The matter has now been listed again on 13 Feb 2024 for further review.

Case Title: Intakhab Ahmad Qazi Vs State & Ors.