By Col Prem Thapa (Retd)
With reference to Garhwal Post editorial dated 30 April, 2024, it couldn’t have been better said. One would still highlight one issue on this matter which relates to road safety alone, (criminal activities/hideouts and bathing accidents besides). Our state attracts all kind of visitors who come for short/long stays and may be ignoring the cautions that entails no mistake syndrome while driving in the hills. The tourist are not the only defaulters but they account for more than others; and add to that the locals who go bonkers likewise and add to the misery of the state in coping with it, especially during marriage and tourist seasons.
Maybe other growing safety concerns are more serious but traffic violations, especially by those coming from the plains which primarily involve speeding/wrong overtaking on the curbs/bends, mobile talking while driving, and driving under the influence of liquor have assumed alarming proportions. It is scary to see so many of them driving in the most brazenly careless manner – no wonder we perhaps top the list in these horrifying accidents – hills don’t spare and survivors are few. Just the other day a car went down the cliff near Hathipaon and all three occupants died on the spot. They belonged to Haryana, and a local overloaded van with a marriage party in it missed a bend and not many survived.
And drowning in the Ganga looks like an everyday occurrence. Public safety also entails disciplining the public with an iron hand, anything less will never do. Enforcement should be strict and continuous (safety weeks/drives are no deterrent). If Sikkim and Kerala can do it…so can every state.
