Road accident victims fund was overdue
There are certain critical issues which the State Administrative Council (SAC) is handling with utmost diligence and timeliness. One such decision that the SAC took was approving notification of the ëRoad Accident Victims Fundí along with scheme for realization and disbursal of amount.
The objective of the fund is to provide immediate relief to the dependents of the persons killed or injured in road accidents of passenger or even private vehicles including the vehicles owned by Government, Corporation and the Public Sector Undertakings.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir has over the years witnessed an increased volume of vehicles coupled with other factors like road condition, hilly and difficult terrain. This development has meant that the rate of accidents has also increased.
Reports and data suggest that during the last one decade, over ten thousand people have died in road accidents. The highest number of causalities was reported in the year 2012 which was put at 1165.
In the last ten years, sixty thousand road accidents have taken place in the state and over eighty thousand people have suffered injuries. Most numbers of injured were reported in the year 2011.
Most of the road accidents take place in Jammu division and other hilly terrains in the valley. In Kashmir region deaths and injuries that too in good numbers have been reported from Srinagar district also.
The high incidence of road mishaps should have acted as a wakeup call for the state administration and the governments that have ruled the state during the last 1o years. But nothing of that sort has happened. Though the state has introduced the Jammu and Kashmir Road Safety Council Act, 2018, that advocated the formation of a State Road Safety Council, the proposal has not moved beyond papers.
Given the average deaths in a calendar year on account of road accidents and injuries to others, it has become essential to provide immediate relief to the victims of road accidents especially in cases of seriously injured persons who for want of money cannot afford immediate medical treatment.
The proposal for revival of Passenger Welfare Fund with the Connotation of ëRoad Accident Victims Fundí shall apart from considerable improvement in its operation and discharge of public services towards welfare of road accident victims, meet the emergent needs of the persons injured in such accidents.
The relief shall be applicable to the victims of road accidents arising out of all types of vehicles including private and public vehicles, even owned by the government as well.
The relief will be applicable to victims of hit and run cases, besides being applicable to road users and pedestrians.
The move was long overdue as the state is one of the most backward regions which need immediate attention towards improving road safety and awareness about road mishaps as well. For this the administration needs to identify various stakeholders as well and help in creating awareness among the masses about curbing deaths on roads.
