Srinagar: Even as Srinagar district is witnessing frequent traffic congestion, the number of road accidents over a period of five years has declined. Data released by the J&K Police in the crime gazette shows that 324 accidents took place in Srinagar in 2016, which is nearly 26 per cent lesser than the number of accidents the earlier year. The figures show that the number of accidents in Srinagar have been on a decline since 2012, except in 2015, when the number of accidents increased from 2014. In 2012, data shows that 511 accidents took place in the district. Superintendent of Police, Traffic, (City) Sargun Shukla said, “The road accidents in Srinagar have come down because of the combined efforts of the Traffic Police, RTO (Regional Transport Office), divisional administration and the courts as everybody is interested in better management of traffic in the city.” She said it is also partly due the fact that the speed limit on the Srinagar roads is lesser than that in other areas. “Due the efforts of the traffic department, more and more people are now following driving rules,” the SP, Traffic, said. While the number of accidents in Srinagar has come down, Srinagar recorded 51 deaths last year. Srinagar ranked second in the casualty list in traffic accidents in the Kashmir region districts after Leh, which witnessed 55 deaths. ]]>
