Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Dec 23: Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a sharp spike in road accidents this year, with 703 fatalities and 6,820 injuries reported between January and October 2024. The Traffic Police have intensified efforts to curb traffic violations, issuing a staggering 1,211,085 challans across the Union Territory, reflecting intensified efforts to curb traffic violations.
The data from Jammu & Kashmir Traffic Police and accessed by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) spans all districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including the Railways regions of Kashmir, Jammu and Katra.
According to officials, factors such as unsafe driving practices, bad weather and rash driving have largely contributed to these numbers.
*Accident and fatality statistics:*
From January to October 2024, J&K witnessed 4,990 road accidents, resulting in 6,820 injuries and 703 deaths.
Monthly Accident & Fatality Breakdown (Jan-Oct 2024):
January: 398 accidents, 55 deaths
February: 373 accidents, 51 deaths
March: 443 accidents, 79 deaths
April: 507 accidents, 63 deaths
May: 597 accidents, 98 deaths
June: 575 accidents, 73 deaths
July: 566 accidents, 88 deaths
August: 595 accidents, 60 deaths
September: 503 accidents, 54 deaths
October: 533 accidents, 82 deaths
*District-wise accident & fatality data:*
A district-wise analysis reveals alarming trends in certain areas, with Jammu district topping the list in terms of fatalities and accidents:
Jammu: 910 accidents, 105 fatalities
Srinagar: 394 accidents, 43 fatalities
Anantnag: 283 accidents, 37 fatalities
Pulwama: 88 accidents, 5 fatalities
Budgam: 190 accidents, 12 fatalities
Kulgam: 138 accidents, 42 fatalities
Baramulla: 170 accidents, 35 fatalities
Awantipora: 106 accidents, 15 fatalities
Bandipora: 101 accidents, 15 fatalities
Shopian: 56 accidents, 5 fatalities (lowest fatalities)
Ganderbal: 137 accidents, 30 fatalities
Kupwara: 101 accidents, 5 fatalities
Udhampur: 341 accidents, 63 fatalities
Handwara: 72 accidents, 20 fatalities
Sopore: 95 accidents, 10 fatalities
Samba: 214 accidents, 29 fatalities
Kathua: 372 accidents, 34 fatalities
Reasi: 252 accidents, 41 fatalities
Kishtwar: 102 accidents, 34 fatalities
Ramban: 240 accidents, 46 fatalities
Doda: 191 accidents, 21 fatalities
Rajouri: 287 accidents, 32 fatalities
Poonch: 146 accidents, 23 fatalities
Railway Katra: 4 accidents, 1 fatality
No accidents were reported in Railway Jammu & Railway Kashmir.
The Traffic Police have intensified efforts to enforce road safety through the issuance of over 1.2 million challans. This includes both court challans and compound challans, as detailed below:
Srinagar City: 310,561 court challans, 27,083 compound challans (total: 337,644)
Rural Kashmir: 128,721 court challans, 211,635 compound challans (total: 340,356)
City Jammu: 312,906 court challans, 17,420 compound challans (total: 330,326)
Rural Jammu: 113,513 court challans, 13,694 compound challans (total: 127,207)
NHW Ramban: 33,409 court challans, 42,143 compound challans (total: 75,552)
The total number of challans are 12,11,085 which includes 8,99,110 court challans and 3,11,975 compound challans.
An official from the Traffic Police Department in Srinagar told KNO that the department has been consistently working to curb violations and ensure road safety. The issuance of challans is part of a robust effort to maintain discipline on the roads, he said—(KNO)
