DC reviews road condition, expresses grief over loss of lives
Ganderbal: Five local residents of Kargil area were killed after a Xylo vehicle, in which they were travelling, rolled down into a deep gorge on Zojila Pass in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Thursday, officials said.
An official told a local news gathering agency that a Xylo vehicle bearing registration number JK07-0876 was on way to Sonamarg from Kargil when it skidded-off the road and fell into a gorge on Zojila Pass, in which five residents of Kargil died.
The deceased have been identified as Ab Hadi Balti, Mohd Amin Balti, Shabir Hussain, Mohd Hussain and Mohd Akbar—all residents of Kargil.
Pertinently, this is the second such incident in the last four days as four tourists from Kerala and a local driver were killed at the same spot after their vehicle fell into a deep gorge at Zojila Pass on Tuesday.
In response to the frequent fatal road accidents along the Zojila stretch, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ganderbal, Shyambir along with SSP Ganderbal Nikhil Borkar, convened an emergency meeting to address the issue and devise immediate safety measures.
The DC emphasized the need to identify and compile a list of black spots on the Zojila road stretch.
This initiative aims to bolster road safety measures, including raising crash barrier heights and installing signages and mirrors to enhance visibility and awareness.
To conduct a first-hand evaluation of the road conditions, a joint visit involving all stakeholder departments and the Deputy Commissioner was also scheduled Friday. This collaborative effort seeks to assess the situation comprehensively and implement effective safety measures promptly so that such road mishaps are prevented in future.
Meanwhile, the DC expressed grief over the unfortunate loss of lives in today’s tragic road accident on Zojila pass in which 5 persons died. (With inputs from KNO)
