Samba, Dec 17: Apni Party Provincial President Jammu and former minister, S. Manjit Singh on Sunday strongly condemned the failure of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Traffic Police for their failure to manage traffic movement on Jammu-Pathankot in district Samba.
Addressing a meeting of party workers in Samba, Singh expressed his concern over the traffic jam and slow pace of widening work on the highway that passes through Samba and connects the rest of Jammu and Kashmir with the country.
“The highway work is in progress at a very slow pace without adopting scientific approach and policy to manage routine traffic on the Jammu-Pathankot has also collapsed badly that has resulted in fatal road accidents leading to the loss of previous lives,” he stated.
He was addressing the Party workers. The meeting was organized by SC Wing Provincial President, Jammu, Lovely Mongol, the party said in a statement.
In his address, Manjit Singh grieved over the loss of life on the busy highway where both sides of the roads are almost blocked with ongoing work, and traffic from two opposite directions ply risking the lives of the commuters and passengers.
“Recently, a groom with his friends got killed in a tragic road mishap. It was the result of negligence and the road accidents on the highway in Kathua and Samba have become routine. Instead of ensuring the smooth flow of traffic on jam-packed highways; the NHAI and Traffic Police seem to have become mute spectators,” he added.
He further stated that the highway stretches near the famous Chichi Mata Temple in Samba and the Railway Bridge passage requires widening work that has not been done.
“The widening work under the Railway Bridge passage is not being done and this situation has compelled hundreds of vehicles including loaded Heavy Motor Vehicles and Light Motor Vehicles to pass through a narrow road from both directions,” he pointed out, cautioning the authorities for their ignorance towards the issue.
Singh said that the NHAI and Traffic Police have turned a blind eye towards the narrow road that can prove fatal. He demanded that the passage (narrow road) under Railway Bridge be widened for a smooth flow of traffic.
The Apni Party leader also threatened that if the infrastructure on the Jammu-Pathankot highway in Samba as well as in Kathua is not improved and precautionary measures are made, the party leaders and workers will come on the roads with the local population to protest the non-responsive NHAI and Traffic Police.
He also discussed various other developmental works in the district and expressed his concern over the delay in completing the developmental projects and the inability of the authorities to provide basic amenities in the rural areas.
The meeting was attended by the Party’s District President, Samba, Raman Thappa, Legal Cell District President, Samba, Sahil Bharti, District President Women Wing Samba, Priyanka, Block President, Darbai Lal, Vice President District Samba, Ram Lal Sharma, and others.
