Banihal, Aug 02: Grief and anger swept through Banihal on Sunday after a 65-year-old retired forest guard, who had been battling for life for the past five days, succumbed to his injuries at SKIMS Srinagar following a road accident near the Lamber Toll Plaza on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.
The deceased, Abdul Rashid Wani, son of Gh. Nabi Wani and a resident of Ashar village, was critically injured on July 28 after being hit by an Innova vehicle near the toll plaza on NH-44. Despite intensive treatment, he breathed his last on Sunday morning.
The tragedy has deepened the sorrow of the Wani family, as Abdul Rashid’s younger brother Mohammad Shafi Wani 42 years has also been admitted to SKIMS in a coma for the last six to seven months after suffering injuries in another accident in Banihal town.
The incident has triggered fresh resentment among residents of Ashar, Zenhall and Lamber villages, who alleged that the stretch between the Lamber Toll Plaza and Railway Chowk has become a “death trap” since the four-lane highway was commissioned nearly three years ago.
Locals said repeated requests for the construction of a pedestrian flyover or safe crossing have remained unfulfilled despite several assurances by the NHAI and the district administration. They alleged that at least four people and several head of livestock have lost their lives while attempting to cross the busy highway in the area.
Residents urged the authorities to immediately provide proper pedestrian safety infrastructure, warning that more lives could be lost if concrete measures are not taken without further delay.
