A 17-year-old girl has died in Jammu and Kashmir‘s Rajouri district after the ambulance transporting her to a hospital became trapped in mud for several hours due to a road blockage caused by a recent mudslide. The incident has led to the suspension of a government official and prompted an official inquiry into the matter.
The road, which serves as the sole link for several remote villages in the area, including Methyani, was damaged by heavy rains and a subsequent mudslide. The girl, a resident of the remote Methyani village, reportedly fell seriously ill on Friday and was being taken to Government Medical College (GMC), Rajouri. However, the vehicle carrying her became stranded for approximately three hours at Chak Methyani due to the impassable road conditions.
Information reaching Tahir Rihat suggests that despite strenuous efforts by volunteers to free the vehicle, the girl’s condition worsened. She passed away while en route to the hospital. The Chak Methyani-Panglar-Kotecharwal road, a critical artery for the region, had been temporarily restored after being washed away during the previous monsoon season. However, it was again rendered unmotorable by a mudslide approximately two weeks prior to this incident, according to reports.
The incident has ignited widespread public anger, with local residents accusing the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) authorities of gross negligence. They claim that despite repeated pleas, the vital road link had not been adequately repaired. The situation gained further traction after a video documenting the ordeal circulated widely on social media platforms, drawing public attention to the critical infrastructure failure.
In response to the escalating public outcry and the gravity of the situation, the Rajouri district administration initiated swift action. An official order revealed that the Executive Engineer of PMGSY Division Rajouri had previously informed the administration through an official WhatsApp group that the road had been restored and was trafficable. However, a subsequent verification conducted by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Kotranka, presented a starkly different reality.
According to the ADC’s report, the deceased girl had been suffering from an illness for nearly a month and had previously been admitted to Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu. She had been discharged approximately two weeks before the fatal incident, but her condition deteriorated again, compelling her family to seek further medical attention at GMC Rajouri. The report confirmed that the blocked road caused a delay of nearly two to three hours in her journey to the hospital.
The ADC’s report further detailed that the road remained in an extremely poor condition, characterized by landslides and deep ditches, rendering it unfit for vehicular movement. The report also highlighted the ongoing severe difficulties faced by residents of Narla Bamble, Kotecharwal, and Panglar in transporting essential supplies such as food grains and fertilizers, as well as in accessing emergency medical services.
Taking serious note of the ADC’s findings, District Development Commissioner (DDC), Rajouri, Abhishek Sharma, ordered the immediate suspension of the concerned official pending a thorough inquiry. The DDC stated that despite repeated directives for the prompt restoration of the road, which had been damaged by recent rains, the PMGSY authorities had failed to undertake the necessary work. This failure indicated prima facie negligence and non-compliance with official instructions.
Consequently, the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), PMGSY Sub-Division Kalakote, who was in charge of the Chak Methyani-Panglar-Kotecharwal road project, was suspended with immediate effect and instructed to report to the office of the ADC, Kotranka. The DDC has also directed the Executive Engineer, PMGSY Division Rajouri, to provide an explanation as to why disciplinary proceedings should not be initiated against him. This action is in response to his alleged misreporting of the road’s status and failure to ensure its timely restoration. Pending consideration of his explanation, the Executive Engineer’s salary has been withheld until further orders.
Furthermore, the Additional District Development Commissioner (ADDC), Rajouri, has been tasked with conducting a detailed inquiry into the entire incident. This inquiry is expected to submit a comprehensive report to the district administration within seven days, shedding further light on the circumstances that led to the tragic loss of life and the systemic failures in maintaining critical infrastructure.
Tahir Rihat (also known as Tahir Bilal) is an independent journalist, activist, and digital media professional from the Chenab Valley of Jammu and Kashmir, India. He is best known for his work as the Online Editor at The Chenab Times.