RAJNI SHARMA :

The proactive steps taken against traffic violators by Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) in the past over 20 days is a right move in streamlining the otherwise haywire traffic scenario in District Doda. The outcome hopefully will help curb frequent road mishaps in the region which is lately facing spate of accidents with people losing their dear ones on almost daily basis. The Motor Vehicle Department has challaned over 108 vehicles for violation of different provisions of new Motor Vehicles Act and rules framed there under, besides seizing 7 vehicles and suspending nine driving licenses in the aforesaid initiative thus giving chills to habitual traffic defaulters. The team reportedly collected a fine of Rs 89,000 from the violators. The vehicles which were seized were driven by persons without licenses or without fitness certificates, a dangerous situation in both the cases posing risk of life to commuters as well as those manning the steering wheels of these vehicles. The traffic scenario in the entire Chenab Valley is quite grim with glaring examples of traffic rules violations. It seems that this grave situation has lead to commencement of the district road safety action plan under which the MVD has started this special drive to counter traffic defaulters. The lack of road safety parameters in the district has remained the basic cause of frequent fatal road mishaps in Doda. The picture that how far the drive so initiated by MVD department will go in curbing mishaps will become clear in the coming days and those commuting on the roads and highways in District Doda are surely going to be optimistic about the drive as it seems last resort for them to be safe on roads. The statistics of deaths on roads in erstwhile J&K State are quite disturbing with concerned agencies even telling that these deaths are even more than people killed in over three decades old terrorism prevalent in the State. With J&K turning into a Union Territory, the hopes of people are high that soon some extra care shall be given to this most serious issue of this newly created UT which now is under direct control of central dispensation. Although, everybody who is concerned about the killer roads of Chenab Valley region or for that matter erstwhile Doda District should also in his own capacity must spread a message that accidents are not caused by cops’ negligence only rather it is the road users who largely are responsible for the same and the scenario shall remain the same until people will not change their mindset and start adhering to road safety norms religiously.