Mainstream WeeklyOn February 13 in reply to a question raised in the Parliament (Lok Sabha) the government replied that there are 226 accident prone spots on highways in Himachal Pradesh and there are 200 such spots in Jammu and Kashmir.
Himalayan roads and highways need special safety measures as an accident here can lead to much more loss of life when vehicles tumble down steep hillsides. Those who had hoped that the widening of highways will lead to greater safety are often disappointed when the safety record does not improve in many such stretches.
The number of trees that are cut down in many stretches of widening of highways is very large. In my early day as a journalist when I was covering the chipko (hug the trees) movement I remember how there used to be a strong movement even against the proposed felling of a hundred trees and now when thousands of trees are felled in a single small stretch (for example the Parwanoo-Solan stretch ) hardly anything happens. In the rush to complete work many companies do not bother that the areas where this work is being undertaken are ecologically very sensitive in ecological terms and many-sided adverse impacts of this will follow. This also has a very adverse effect on safety. As the trees which hold together soil and boulders are felled down, the landslides which bring down rubble and big and small stones from the hillsides with great force increase, endangering anyone passing on the highway.
If adequate care is given to such safety aspects alternative ways of improving transport can emerge which can avoid excessive felling of trees. However big companies which get contracts are not keen to explore such decentralized options of working closely with local communities to avoid a lot of ecological harm.
However the risks on highways being more visible get at least some attention while what happens in nearby villages gets neglected. In Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh the irrigation sources of the farmers have been badly damaged in the course of recent highways construction work. A report in The Tribune (14 February) by Lalit Mohan says,