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Road accidents in Chitral -letter

Another ten injuries were reported in a road mishap in Chitral just the other day just after avalanche victims of Lowari had been buried. Road accidents have killed much more people in Chitral compared to any disaster or event occurring in the Valley.

I can recall a most a tragic incident of my life when some years ago one of my childhood friend Didar Ali, Booni (who was likely to leave for US the next week and had come from Islamabad for preparation of required documents) and his aunt were among 14  commuters including the great social and well known local figure Daood Mateen who met with the same fate when their vehicle plunged into the river at Kuju. What is more, the driver of the ill-fated van is still missing. Recently two young girls, one of them teacher (both from Booni) have lost their lives in two separate road accidents. A great local leader, well toned speaker, Advocate Allahdad of Chunj and a well known Polo player and a cultured person Vori Chacha of Reshun are the people who fell pray to the killer roads in our district. When we sit to compile the list of those whom our roads have deprived us of, dozens of files would be needed to cover them. Ironically no full stop looks here nor has any solution to this problem been formulated so far.

Though roads are getting better and condition of vehicles also relatively improving but the rate of road accidents is continuously increasing.  I attribute it to ill or untrained drivers who tend to focus only on speed and cannot control the carrier they drive. Concerned authorities blindly issue licenses even to those who are unable to write or read even their names and don’t bother to examine their abilities, physical fitness or eye-sight while no one has severely been punished for this type of crime. After crushing a pedestrian, a driver approaches the bereaved family with notables of the locality and thus gets indemnified. The people almost praise over speeding and consider it a great source of thrill. The combination of all our practices and lack of sense sense towards using roads and its safety has resulted in an incurable ache. Who is there to counsel a solution and then implement it?

Ejaz Ahmed.
Islamabad.

11 April, 09.
 

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