Srinagar, Oct 26: Roads in some of J&K’s districts are no less than a death-trap.
There is a substantial road-safety backlog, with 299 of the 367 identified accident black spots yet to be reported as fully rectified.
Amidst this scenario, road crashes claim nearly three lives every day.
The figures were presented during a road-safety review chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on October 5.
The data assumes renewed focus following Wednesday’s bus accident at Gulli Gala on the Basantgarh-Ramnagar road in Udhampur district. At least 10 passengers were injured after the vehicle skidded off the road and plunged into a gorge.
Two of them lost life.
While it has not been established whether the accident site is among the officially identified black spots, such incidents along the vulnerable stretches in the mountainous region is almost a norm now.
According to the figures presented at the review meeting, the Transport Commissioner has identified 367 black spots across J&K.
Of these, only 68 have been fully rectified.
The officials stated that 165 black spot rectification works have been audited by central agencies.
The status of the remaining locations raises questions about how quickly identified road hazards are being addressed, and whther there are any timelines for such jobs.
The scale of the problem is reflected in the latest fatality figures.
J&K recorded 756 road-accident deaths up to mid-September 2026.
That translates to approximately three deaths a day in J&K, due to road accidents.
The reporting period runs from January 1 to September 15.
The government reported 1,090 fatalities for 2024, and the figures presented for 2026 indicate a slightly lower cumulative toll.
However, the daily loss of life remains substantial.
There has been some decline in the number of accidents on roads as well – the number of accidents was reported at 4222 during the 2026, while it was 5808 in 2024.
The road safety measures aim to bring annual road fatalities down to 600 or fewer by 2027 and 450 by 2030.
Till date, a safety audit of 1433 roads has been completed in J&K.
Rs 11.60 crore has been released to 15 districts under the Road Safety Fund for corrective interventions.
Black-spot identification is intended to help authorities prioritise locations where road design and alignment or any other factor contributes to accident risk.
With 299 locations yet to be reported as fully rectified, road audits, funding and review meetings are not turning into immediate reprieve and safety measures.
Stakeholders believe that reducing fatalities to 600 or fewer by 2027, requires that the pace of work at the remaining black spots is expedited to help save lives on the roads that have become treacherous.
