STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Three passengers died while eight injured when a taxi they were travelling in skidded off and plunged into a gorge in Ramban district.
Meanwhile, locals Ramban staged a protest against the State Government as well as district administration for not providing adequate facilities to the accident victims, after an accident occurred on Ukhral on Thursday.
“Two persons died on the spot whereas nine others got injured when a vehicle JK19-1051 on way from Maligram to Ukhral this morning skidded off the road and fell into 500 feet deep gorge at Shaligarah-Ukhral Road in Ramban,” police here said.
The driver lost the control on the vehicle while negotiating a sharp turn resulting which it skidded off and rolled down into the gorge.
Evacuation operation was immediately launched and the bodies were retrieved while injured were rushed to the district hospital. The deceased were identified as Rashid Gani and Muzimal Chopan (driver).
The injured were identified as Mohd Farooq Gani of Thana Maligam, Mohd Rafiq Gani of Halla, Mushtaq Ahmed of Halla, Tanveer Bhat of Gholla, Farooq Ahmed Runyal of Gollha, Jameela Begum, wife of Farooq Ahmed Runyal with her daughter and Yasir of Marnal, Maligam.
Police said that one of the injured succumbed on way to hospital, adding, “out of total injured, six have been referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu.”
Over 500 people blocked the National Highway at Ramban for more than two hours and raised the slogans against Central as well as State Government and district administration besides Health Department and MLA Ramban.
They alleged that authorities only provide facilities to their officials and neglecting the common people. The protest came to an end after the intervention of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ramban Mohammad Aijaz who assured the protestors that the administration will take strict action against the hospital authorities.
Later DC alongwith Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ramban Mohan Lal visited hospital to enquire about the health of the accident victims and said that best possible treatment by the hospital administration.
The protestors was lead by District Congress Committee president Ramban Arun Singh Raju who threatened that if the administration will not take any action within the prescribed duration they will call for mass protest and blocked national highway .
