Jammu: Nearly 3,700 people have died and over 29,000 others were injured in more than 20,000 road accidents across Jammu and Kashmir since June 2022, a senior government official said here on Thursday.
The majority of these fatalities and accidents occurred on major highways, in Jammu, Kathua, Udhampur and Rajouri districts, the official said.
These details were shared during a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo to assess the implementation of road safety measures recommended by the Supreme Court.
The chief secretary sought a detailed account of the status of compliance with Supreme Court directions and underscored the need for extensive use of GIS-based data to identify vulnerable and accident-prone road stretches.
“Such data-driven identification will enable focused technological and physical interventions to significantly reduce road accidents, especially in hilly districts,” Dulloo said.
J-K Transport Department Secretary Avny Lavasa, while briefing the chief secretary, said since the operationalisation of the i-RAD portal in June 2022, a total of 20,135 road accidents involving 32,819 persons have been reported in the Union Territory. These accidents resulted in 3,688 fatalities and 29,131 grievous or minor injuries.
Data analysis revealed that most accidents took place between 3 pm and 9 pm, with rash driving and over-speeding accounting for nearly 50 per cent of mishaps reported during 2025, Lavasa said.
The Transport Department also shared enforcement statistics, noting that 40,197 challans were issued in 2024 and 52,543 in 2025, amounting to fines of Rs 10.15 crore and Rs 15.88 crore, respectively.
Major violations included riding without a helmet, driving without seat belt, use of mobile phone while driving, over-speeding and jumping red lights. In 2025 alone, 1,528 vehicles were seized, 1,641 driving licences suspended, 10,439 vehicles blacklisted, 1,192 registration certificates cancelled and 300 route permits revoked, the transport department secretary said.
Inspector General of Police (Traffic), M Suleman, apprised the meeting about surveillance cameras and traffic signal systems operational in Jammu and Srinagar.
Traffic Police issued 14,92,591 e-challans in 2025, 15,03,901 in 2024 and 12,36,380 in 2023. Fines collected from of Rs 85.16 crore in 2023 and Rs 145.12 crore in 2025. Besides, 15,947 vehicles were seized in 2025 for violations of the Motor Vehicles Act, he said.
According to an official spokesperson, Dulloo called for leveraging traffic data to guide interventions such as targeted safety measures and engineering corrections. He directed authorities to strictly enforce punitive measures against habitual violaters to ensure deterrence.
During the meeting, road construction agencies including the National Highway Authority of India, Public Works Department and Border Roads Organisation were asked to brief on removal of identified black spots.
The chief secretary also reviewed installation of safety signage and speed-limiting devices in school buses, the spokesperson said.
