Lives lost, lessons unlearned: Lack of reforms worsens Uttarakhand road safety
Wednesday, 06 November 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The tragic bus accident in Marchula of Almora district on Monday once again highlighted the recurring dangers on the State’s mountainous roads and the authorities’ inadequate response to ensure safety. This accident claimed 36 lives and left 27 injured. Road accidents have long plagued Uttarakhand, with the State consistently ranking among the most dangerous regions for road safety in India. Despite frequent accidents and the tragic loss of life, the authorities’ response has been kneejerk at best. While violations in urban areas often elicit quick penalties, the Transport department here appears to overlook critical road safety issues in remote mountain regions, only taking temporary action when a major accident occurs.
The official data from recent years underscores the severity of the problem. In 2018 and 2019, Uttarakhand saw 1,418 and 1,353 road accidents respectively, resulting in 1,047 and 868 fatalities respectively. This trend has only worsened with 1,674 accidents recorded in 2022, leading to 1,042 deaths and 1,691 accidents in 2023, in which 1,054 people died. These numbers place Uttarakhand among the top eight states in India for accident severity, as measured by the fatality rate per 100 accidents. Recent years have witnessed numerous catastrophic accidents in the State’s mountain areas. The 2018 Dhumakot bus accident took 48 lives, while the October 2021 incident in Chakrata left 11 dead. In February 2022, a marriage party bus fell off a cliff in Champawat claiming 11 lives and a June 2022 crash on the Yamunotri highway resulted in 22 fatalities.
More recently, the accident of a Tempo Traveller in Rudraprayag in June 2024 claimed 15 lives. Despite these repeated tragedies, effective reforms in road safety remain elusive. In response to public outcry, authorities occasionally suspend low or middle ranking officials or impose temporary disciplinary measures. Yet these steps fail to address the underlying issues of overloading, reckless driving and inadequate road maintenance that make these roads dangerous.
Observers opine that it often appears that a significant accident is needed to spur the authorities into action, only for their alertness to diminish once public attention fades. Unless the departments and agencies concerned implement concrete, lasting changes in safety standards and road infrastructure, the cycle of accidents and temporary responses is likely to continue, putting countless lives at risk on Uttarakhand’s unsafe roads.
