he Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta today chaired a meeting to review traffic scenario in Jammu and Kashmir.

Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Principal Secretary, Public Works (R&B) Department, Commissioner/Secretary, Transport Department, ADGP, Traffic, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Transport Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, representative of NHAI, and concerned officers participated in the meeting.

The Chief Secretary expressed serious concern over the alarming figures of fatal road accidents on the National Highway-44 and other major roads in Jammu and Kashmir. He directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to prioritize installation of crash barriers and parapets throughout the accident prone areas and black spots. NHAI was also asked to install mesh coverings at landslide-prone areas to ensure safety of plying vehicles. Besides, the traffic police was asked to ensure adequate deputation of traffic personnel on the congested stretches to enforce speed limits and discipline in lane driving.

Further, the Chief Secretary directed the traffic police to check over-speeding inside the Navayug and Nashri Tunnels and ensure strict compliance to the fixed speed limits. Directions were also issued for expeditious procurement of gadgets to check speed limits for which NHAI has already initiated the process.

While reviewing the recurrent traffic jams on the National Highway due to police checking and nakas, the Chief Secretary directed the concerned to conduct checking of vehicles in a regulated manner without causing disruption to the smooth traffic movement. The enforcement agencies were further asked to submit the factual reports of each checking drive with the higher authorities for ensuring suitable penal action against the delinquents.

To ensure transparency and accountability during the enforcement drives, Dr. Mehta directed mandatory wearing of body cameras by the concerned officials, besides ensuring installation of traffic cameras on all traffic interceptors. The Transport Department was asked to organize a campaign to raise public awareness on traffic rules and reporting of traffic misconduct either by public or enforcement agencies.

With regard to the summer migration of nomadic population, the Chief Secretary informed of the Tribal Affairs Department’s initiative of providing vehicular transportation to the migratory population. Accordingly, the traffic police was asked to make arrangements for proper traffic management in coordination with the Tribal Affairs Department. Similarly, the Traffic Police was also asked to adequately plan for the Amarnath Yatra 2022 in consultation with the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board.

Regarding the decongestion of city/town areas, the divisional administrations and traffic police were directed to strictly enforce no-parking norms and vacate illegal parkings within one week. They were asked to launch special drives against pressure horns, unauthorized headlights, and use of tainted glasses in 4-wheelers.

For improving the in-city traffic movement, directions were issued for installation of traffic cameras on a mission mode, in addition to specifying ‘city/town speed limits’. Dr. Mehta maintained that the enforcement agencies must work in tandem with each other to ensure streamlining of traffic in and around cities/towns and on national highway and major roads. “Special efforts are required to ensure compliance to traffic rules and traffic discipline for which civil society needs to be approached and proactively engaged”, he said.

Moreover, the Chief Secretary directed the Transport Department to ensure installation of High Security Number Plates (HSNP) in all vehicles, within one month.