Srinagar
National Conference senior leader and Member of Parliament from Anantnag Constituency Hasnain Masoodi on Tuesday sought immediate attention of the government towards upgrading the Highway connecting Kashmir with the rest of the country.
Masoodi while speaking in the parliament over the issue of increasing frequency of fatal accidents in the state said, “ The other day a tragic accident took place in Kishtwar resulting in the loss of 36 precious lives, earlier scores of people had also met with a mishap on Mughal road and Ramban. Unfortunately, the main arterials of our state have turned into a death trap for commuters. There has been a scathing increase in the occurrence of accidents in the region.” Seeking reply from the Government of India on the increasing incidence of accidents Masoodi said, “ I would like to be acquainted as to what the government is doing to prevent such accidents. Meantime I demand a comprehensive repose of the government on the fate of various road projects of the state. Regrettably from past six months, nearly 1600 accidents have taken place in the state most of which took place on the highway connecting Srinagar with Jammu.
There is a dearth of necessary ground staff to ensure safe and secure movement of the vehicular traffic on the highway. In addition to it I urge the concerned ministry to come up with the measures which it is employing to reduce the incidence of such accidents.” “ I also seek the answer from the concerned ministry as to by what time will the crucial Banihal- Ramban stretch be upgraded. The road stretch has been a primary bottle neck in ensuring smooth and hassle-free traffic of traffic on the route,” he asked.
Hasnain Masoodi asserted that Kashmiris have traditionally welcomed Amaranth Yatris with gaiety and fervor. “ People welcome the Yatris with open arms. Security is a pivotal aspect of the Yatra. No one is belittling that aspect of it; however, the security measures should not hamper day to day activities of the general population.
The security concern should be dealt with properly; no one is raising questions on that facet but that should be done at the cost of other vital activities. The Bijbehara- Pahalgam route and the Qazigund- Nashri routes have been placed under strict restrictions; the measure of keeping vital arterials including the highway out of bounds for the civilian traffic will inadvertently hit the economic activity in the valley. I urge the GOI to review the decision and ensure that the general public doesn’t have to face any trouble in view of the restrictions,” he asked.
