District Road Safety Committee meeting held at Kathua

• DC reviews progress of infrastructure projects, road safety initiatives

KATHUA: The 24th meeting of the District Road Safety Committee was held today under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Kathua Rajesh Sharma here at the Conference Hall of the DC Office Complex.

At the outset, the Superintending Engineer PWD Arun Gupta briefed the meeting on the progress achieved in filling the identified gaps. He said a number of works have been taken up and the same would be completed in a time-bound manner.

It was informed that the Dinga Amb Bridge under GREF is likely to be completed by June 2026. The link road to GDC Bani has been sanctioned under SASCI funds, while installation of convex mirrors at identified locations by NHAI has also been approved. Further, estimates for improvement of link roads connecting to National Highway under PWD have been submitted for consideration, the meeting was informed.

The DC also reviewed ongoing road safety initiatives, including activities being organised by Road Safety Clubs in Government Degree Colleges. It was informed that safety audits of two roads in each PWD division will commence from April 2026.

Threadbare discussions were held on several critical issues including development of Hatli underpass, identification of a suitable auto stand at GMC Kathua, regulation of traffic from MC Kathua office to Shaheedi Chowk and identification and rectification of accident-prone blind spots across the district.

The Deputy Commissioner stressed upon the need for intensified awareness campaigns and directed the Regional Transport Officer Kathua to conduct regular road safety awareness programmes in educational institutions. He further called upon all stakeholder departments to submit proposals and suggestions for plan works and activities for the upcoming financial year to strengthen road safety measures in the district.   ADC Vishavjeet Singh, ASP Rahul Charak, RTO Surinder Sharma, concerned Officers of PWD, NHAI, Health, GDCs and other stakeholders attended the meeting.