This was one of the most dangerous accidents on the Srinagar- Leh Highway. Five bodies have been recovered so far and another three passengers are yet to be traced. That makes it one of the most fatal accidents in the Kashmir valley. One must really appreciate the courage of the locals and the disaster management teams who managed to retrieve the dead bodies from such a fast-flowing river. It really was one of the most daring efforts and those involved in this effort need to be appreciated.
One cannot deny the fact that driving can be a little tricky in such inclement weather. However, the fact of the matter remains that responsible driving not driven by commercial interests should be a top priority while driving on this route. Driving on this route should be done only by core professionals with years of experience in hill driving. At the same time, there are spots on this highway which need to be fenced on top priority. The place where this accident took place also needs fencing on top priority and a few speed-breakers as well. It is such a scary sight to see drivers cruising along this road while applying fourth gear without any regard to the security of the passengers.
The weather in the valley has gone for a toss. The Kupwara-Sopore main road was temporarily blocked for some time. Many rivulets in north Kashmir were in spate. One really needs to keenly observe the developing weather pattern to gauge any threat to low-lying areas in Srinagar city – presently all looks fine and dandy !to It is scary to see so much water having accumulated on Boulevard road and it is definitely not a good sign for a city claiming to be among the top most smart cities of India.
The establishment must be appreciated for taking prompt action by closing down schools in Kupwara and other vulnerable parts of northern Kashmir. The administration, it seems, has learnt the lessons from the Gandbal tragedy and is prepared to close down schools in vulnerable areas.
We hope the choked streets would be drivable in some hours and the city as well as the entire valley would be back to normal business in some hours from now.
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