Tragedy looms on Mughal Road as safety arrangements go for toss

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, June 2

While a magisterial probe is underway into the recent bus accident in Jammu in which 22 people were killed, another tragedy is waiting on other roads in Jammu division, for which an expert committee has already recommended various measures in its report.

The report, which has been accessed by The Tribune, stated that Mughal Road, the alternate link to Kashmir Valley from Poonch district of Jammu has many shortcomings that could become a reason for a major accident in the future. The committee was formed at the direction of the High Court of J&K and Ladakh after an accident in Doda last year in which 39 persons were killed. The court has recently asked the administration to act on the recommendations of the report.

Mughal Road provides easy access for the people of Rajouri and Poonch to reach the Kashmir region.

The committee stated in its report that the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) code recommends the installation of different kinds of road studs for different road sections. “During the audit (of Mughal Road), road studs were found missing along the entire road stretch. The visibility of the edges of the carriageway and centre line may not be clear during inclement weather or in dark hours. Moreover, the pavement marking is likely to fade over time, which calls for the provision of road studs on the edge line and also the centerline to enhance the safety of night traffic.”.

The report further states that sharp curves were observed on several valley sections of the project road without safety barriers, chevron signs, or warning signs. “On such valley sections, if drivers fail to judge the presence of the valley sections and cannot control the speed, there could be runoff or overturning accidents, which will lead to serious injuries or fatalities. When such curves are introduced in the road alignment, speed reduction and delineation measures are required to reduce the speed of vehicles so that the vehicles can negotiate the curve safely.”

The committee that conducted the audit on the Mughal and Batote-Doda-Kishtwar National Highway (NH-244) comprised of a professor from IIT Jammu, an engineer nominated by the Chief Engineer SAMPARK, an executive engineer nominated by the Chief Engineer PWD (R&B), and an expert in geology. The committee further observed that the centre line marking on the Mughal road is not continuous.

The report also highlights the unprotected crash barrier ends and ends without Object Hazard Markers (OHM) which were found throughout the road stretch. “The end treatment to the crash barriers has not been provided. This may impose a serious threat for the vehicles, as the unprotected safety barrier ends may lead to a fatal or grievous injury accident upon collision with a fast-moving vehicle,” the report stated.

The expert committee has highlighted six black spots on Mughal Road which could become dangerous for commuters. The committee has also recommended measures to make them safe.

The committee has also recommended the construction of a rock protection shelter to avoid casualties during the shooting of stones and rock falls at specific sites. Proper slope drainage along the fault lines to minimise the interaction of water with crushed rocks was also recommended.