Jammu, Mar 11: J&K Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president and Member of Parliament Sat Sharma on Wednesday raised the issue of road safety in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir during a special mention in the Rajya Sabha in New Delhi, drawing the attention of the Government towards the urgent need to further strengthen safety infrastructure on National Highways in the region.
While raising the issue, BJP MP highlighted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Government of India undertook unprecedented infrastructure development across Jammu and Kashmir, particularly in the road and highway sector. He said that massive investments in road widening projects, construction of national highways, ring roads, tunnels, and flyovers significantly improved connectivity across the Union Territory.
“These initiatives have substantially reduced travel time, enhanced mobility, and made daily commuting easier and more efficient for the people. However, along with rapid expansion of road infrastructure, it is equally important to ensure the highest standards of road safety for commuters,” BJP MP said.
Highlighting the seriousness of the matter, Sat Sharma said that according to information recently provided by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in Parliament, a significant number of precious lives were lost and numerous accidents occurred on National Highways in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the alarming figures clearly reflected the serious and persistent safety challenges on the crucial road corridors.
Raising concern over the ground situation, Sharma stated, “Although the Ministry has informed Parliament that road safety audits are mandatory at all stages of highway development and that accident-prone spots are identified through the e-DAR system, the realities on the ground reveal serious implementation gaps.” He pointed out that many stretches of National Highways in the Union Territory continued to suffer from damaged or missing crash barriers, delayed replacement of safety infrastructure, inadequate road signage, unsafe dividers, and the absence of quick-response safety measures, particularly on hilly and accident-prone stretches.
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