Srinagar: Nearly one thousand persons have lost their lives in the past six years in different road accidents that occurred in rural areas of Kashmir division, officials said Saturday.
In response to an application filed under right to information (RTI) Act by activist M M Shuja, the Traffic police officer of rural Kashmir has stated that 954 persons have lost their lives during traffic accidents in the jurisdiction of traffic rural Kashmir from March 2016 to March 2021.
The officer has further said that the department has recovered over Rs 14 crores from its jurisdiction.
“Rs 1, 41,033,256 have been recovered from violators as fine in the jurisdiction of traffic rural Kashmir from March 2016 to March 2021,” reads the reply, as per news agency KNO.
The Public Information Officer (PIO) has also said, “There are 282 officers and 104 SPOs including those attached from various districts are presently deployed on traffic regulation duties in the jurisdiction of this unit comprising all districts except district Srinagar of the Kashmir valley.”
“At least 90 Traffic awareness programmes have been organized by this unit during the year 2020. However no expenditure has been projected or allotted for the said purpose,” reads the RTI reply.
The officer said that in the year, 2017-2018 at least Rs 60,000 were utilized for organizing various traffic awareness programmes in schools, with drivers and road users and the department also organized road rallies in the jurisdiction of traffic rural Kashmir.
However, in the year 2018-2019 no amount was utilized by the department in jurisdiction of traffic in rural Kashmir.
The documents reveal that in the year 2019-2020 only Rs 10,000 were utilized in organizing various traffic awareness programmes in schools, with drivers and road users.
On asking about the proposal submitted by the traffic police department to the government for streamlining the traffic system, the officer in a RTI reply has said, “Various projects have been forwarded to PHQ and THQ Jammu and Kashmir for perusal and consideration.”
“110 programmes have been jointly organized by the department of traffic in rural Kashmir with ARTOs of the Valley from March 2016 to 2021,” it reads.
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