DODA: As many as 112 people lost their lives in 257 road accidents since July last year in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district, officials said on Saturday, attributing 75 per cent of these accidents to over-speeding and rash driving. This information was shared at a meeting convened by Deputy Commissioner of Doda Harvinder Singh to assess the traffic worthiness of road infrastructure, transport facilities and the overall safety of commuters in the district following a bus accident on Wednesday that claimed 39 lives. Of the 257 accidents, 25 per cent occurred due to roads and mechanical failure, the officials said, adding directions were passed at the meeting to have a road safety audit of all the roads by a technical committee within 20 days. Singh, who is also the chairman of the District Road Safety Committee (DRSC) and Regional Transport Authority (RTA), instructed stakeholder agencies to coordinate and complete the mapping of roads within 15 days to create an integrated map. During the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner reviewed the implementation of the road safety plan and the Integrated Road Safety Database and Electronic Detailed Accident Report, the officials said. They said it was decided by the DRSC to declare spots having less than 100-metre visibility as black spots. Additionally, the DC directed for installation of speed limit sign boards and crash barriers with glow tape along roads to ensure a safer commuting environment. The meeting decided to establish small traffic booths and install CCTV cameras and cat’s eye equipment along the roads, the officials said, adding the direction to dismantle the encroachment along the highway and other roads were also passed. The officials said strict directions were passed to establish ‘nakas’ (checkpoints) in sensitive areas to stop over-speeding and overcrowding. The DC also directed the Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) to enforce the compulsory installation of CCTV cameras in every passenger vehicle, particularly in minibuses and buses. Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police, Jammu zone, Anand Jain visited Wednesday’s accident site at Assar.
