Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma, also Chairman of the District Road Safety Committee, today chaired a meeting to review and strengthen road safety measures across the district. The meeting deliberated on strict enforcement of traffic regulations and measures to minimise road accidents, including regular road maintenance, curbing overloading, over-speeding and rash driving, improving traffic management, decongesting busy routes, installing road signage and generating public awareness.
It also reviewed installation of crash barriers and promotion of speed-limit awareness through Road Safety Clubs in schools and colleges. The Deputy Commissioner directed all concerned departments to coordinate closely, ensure adherence to road safety norms, expedite safety works and monitor vulnerable road stretches, including organising continuous road safety awareness programmes in colleges.
He directed the ARTO Kishtwar, Police and Traffic Police to intensify enforcement drives against traffic violators, with focus on overloading, over-speeding and rash driving and instructed the District Traffic Inspector (DTI), Traffic Police and MVD Kishtwar to continue road safety awareness campaigns and conduct joint enforcement drives, including surprise breath analyser checks, to curb drunk driving.
He further directed the DTI Kishtwar to remove prohibited stranded trucks near Berwar along the Kishtwar–Paddar Road to ease congestion and facilitate movement of pilgrims undertaking the Shri Machail Mata Ji Yatra 2026.
Taking note of road damage caused by wastewater, he directed the committee comprising the Tehsildar and the CEO, Municipal Council Kishtwar, to inspect unauthorised service stations lacking proper drainage and seal those found violating norms and to identify accident-prone locations for installation of crash barriers.
The DC also directed departments to ensure timely entry and monitoring of accident cases on the eDAR portal and to strengthen inter-departmental coordination. Reviewing ongoing road works, he directed NHIDCL to fill potholes on the Kuleed–Girinagar and Hasti Morh–Malipeth stretches; NHIDCL said the remaining blacktopping work, delayed due to a bitumen shortage, will commence within 15 days.
Among those present were ASP Pardeep Singh, Executive Engineer (Jal Shakti) Rohit Wadera, Executive Engineer (PMGSY) Rajesh Sharma, Executive Engineer (PWD R&B) Shamis Din, Executive Engineer (PWD R&B) Tilak Rajwal, Executive Engineer (PWD R&B) Gurjeet Singh and MVI Robin Parihar, besides other officers and departmental representatives.