Srinagar, Mar 29: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, a crucial transportation artery, has emerged as a major hotspot for road accidents, accounting for a staggering 1155 fatalities over the past five years. This grim statistic highlights the urgent need for improved road safety measures along this vital roadway.
According to data released by the Traffic Department, the National Highway has witnessed a horrifying toll, with 211 lives lost in 2019, 178 deaths in 2020, 271 fatalities in 2021, 261 in 2022, and a further 234 lives claimed in 2023. The Chenab Valley region has also been particularly treacherous, contributing to the overall toll of 4,251 road accident fatalities across Jammu and Kashmir in the past five years.
While the entire union territory has grappled with the issue of road safety, the National Highway and Chenab Valley have borne a disproportionate burden of the tragic toll.
In 2023 alone, 893 individuals lost their lives in road accidents across J&K, with 6,298 accidents reported and 8,469 people sustaining injuries. The previous year, 2022, saw 805 fatalities in 6,092 road accidents, with 8,372 individuals injured. In 2021, 774 people were killed in 4,860 accidents, with 5,894 individuals suffering injuries. The COVID-19 pandemic year of 2020 witnessed 728 road accident fatalities in 4,860 accidents, with 5,894 people injured. Even in 2019, before the pandemic, a staggering 996 lives were lost in 5,796 accidents, with 7,532 individuals sustaining injuries.
As the grim statistics continue to mount, authorities and stakeholders face immense pressure to implement comprehensive measures to address the issue of road safety, particularly along the treacherous Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and in the Chenab Valley region, to prevent further loss of precious lives.
