Alienated Jammu and Kashmir stands to lose the benefits of ‘cashless treatment scheme’ for road crash victims. In the Union Government’s move ‘cashless treatment scheme’ for road crash victims of the Golden Quadrilateral and North-South and East-West corridors all the victims will get free treatment for the first 48 hours, which is the crucial and decisive time, at hospitals located nearest to the crash site. The scheme envisages that victims do not have to pay for the expenditure up to Rs 30,000. Government plan to raise road cess and motor vehicle insurance to garner additional funds would take care of the needed fund. At present Road Transport Ministry receives about Rs 17,000 crore as road cess from users annually as part of toll tax collections. In fact insurance companies have been the driving force behind providing immediate medical care to road crash victims in developed countries. The envisaged project is introduced on experimental basis in areas where toll tax collection is high and traffic flow is heavy. On an average the State’s roads claim more lives than militancy or the calamity. The condition of the roads is really bad and connectivity is poor except the National Highway stretch and are more accident prone. The vehicle population is outdated, poor awareness and lack of road sense among the drivers is common. There is no toll tax collection except for few points on the National Highway. The issue had seen protests all through in Jammu region and even damaging a toll tax point. The damaged infrastructure today is a driver’s nightmare if slight miscalculation is done. State by this attitude stands to lose more than it gains. Blame for such poor record goes to policy makers and politicians who just for few votes have surrendered all safety norms to be implemented. Under such a circumstance it is the people who stand to lose in terms of life and facilities and not the politicians.
