Constitute Expert Committee To Make Roads Of Chenab Valley Accident Free: JKL High Court

The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court on Tuesday directed the UT Government to constitute a Committee of Experts in order to ascertain the reasons for repeated road accidents on Batote-Doda-Kishtwar Road in the Chenab Valley region and suggest measures to make the road accident free.

A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice Rajesh Sekhri has further directed the Government to erect rolling barriers/steel pillars on curved roads, also wherever culverts are found and file an Action Taken Report (ATR) by or before the next date of hearing.

The directions came on a letter petition filed by social activist Asif Iqbal Butt requesting the Court to take suo-moto cognizance of increasing road accidents in the hilly terrain of Chenab Valley.

Through the medium of his letter, it was brought to the notice of the Chief Justice that frequent accidents have snatched hundreds of lives over the decades and hardly a week passes without any tragic news of an accident thus causing panic among the locals. But the Government agencies have failed to take any concrete measures to check the mishaps, he said.

In his letter, the petitioner submitted that the road circuits in the districts of Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban are in dilapidated condition and need immediate attention.

"Since the roads in the upper reaches are narrow and have a number of blind curves, the installation of rolling barriers is essential for alleviating the severity of the accidents", the letter said, adding "setting a robust road infrastructure, implementing the recommendations for road safety and ensuring strict compliance with the traffic rules are the need of the hour" . 

The Court clubbed the matter with an already pending PIL relating to issue of road accidents on the Mughal Road.

Acknowledging the gravity of the matter, the bench observed,

"The letter raises concerns about Government agencies not taking adequate measures both long-term and short-term to prevent such unfortunate accidents. The issue highlighted in the letter is of serious nature in the public interest".

Accordingly, Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed, who was assisting the Division Bench in earlier PIL was appointed as Amicus Curiae and the bench subsequently listed the matter for hearing again on 1 Feb 2023.

Case Title: Intakhab Ahmad Qazi Vs State & Ors

Coram : Acting Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan & Justice Rajesh Sekhri

Click Here To Read/Download Order