Srinagar, March 30: More than 17000 people have died in road accidents in Jammu and Kashmir in three years from 2023.

In a written reply to the question of National Conference MLA Ali Mohammad Sagar in the Assembly, the minister for transport, Satesh Sharma informed the Assembly today that 6,120 road accident took place in 2023 5,726 in 2024 and 5,287 in 2025”.
In total 17,133 people lost their lives in road accidents in J&K in three years.
The minister informed the house that over 10,000 road safety awareness programmes were conducted in both 2024 and 2025, while health and eye check-ups of drivers and conductors increased from 374 in 2024 to 394 in 2025.
However, first aid and emergency response training dropped from 87 to 33 during the same period. Initiatives under Good Samaritan schemes and road accident victim support saw a rise from 1,379 to 1,495 cases, he added.
The minister further said that 6,271 school buses are registered in the UT, of which 4,545 were audited in 2025.
“During inspections, 472 buses were found defective, and 450 defects were rectified. Out of 141 driving training schools, 102 were inspected, 81 were found operational as per norms, while notices were issued to 21 institutions”, he said.
The minister said the proper functioning of speed limiting devices (SLDs) is being ensured during vehicle fitness checks, while the road safety policy, initially notified in 2016, has been revised in 2025 in line with the national road safety policy and shared with all stakeholder departments for implementation.
To strengthen enforcement, the government said a range of equipment has been procured, including 213 motorcycles, 19 mobile vehicle interceptors, 16 highway patrol vehicles, 685 body-worn cameras, 64 breath alcohol analysers, and over 1,600 traffic safety belts, among other items, he said.
Sharma said that Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS) have been installed in Jammu and Srinagar under the Smart City Mission, while a Rs 107.32 crore project has been proposed to extend similar systems across the rest of the UT.
Road safety audits have been made mandatory for all new road projects and are being conducted periodically on existing roads to address engineering defects.
The government also highlighted the implementation of the Road Accident Victim Fund (RAVF), under which compensation of Rs 1 lakh is provided in case of death, Rs 75,000 for permanent disability, Rs 50,000 for grievous injuries and Rs 10,000 for minor injuries.
Providing district-wise details, the minister said that a total of Rs 1,153.10 lakh has been released out of Rs 1,226.10 lakh received under the fund, with Rs 914.90 lakh utilised so far and a balance of Rs 73 lakh remaining.
Among districts, Jammu received Rs 204 lakh, followed by Doda with Rs 135 lakh and Kishtwar with Rs 134 lakh. Srinagar and Bandipora reported full utilisation of allocated funds, Sharma said.
The government reiterated that a multi-pronged approach involving enforcement, awareness, infrastructure upgrades and policy reforms is being pursued to further reduce road accidents in the Union Territory.