Sick teen dies after ambulance gets stuck in mud for hours in J&K's Rajouri
A 17-year-old girl died after the vehicle carrying her to a hospital got stuck in mud for nearly three hours on a road in Jammu
A 17-year-old girl died after the vehicle carrying her to a hospital got stuck in mud for nearly three hours on a road in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, prompting the district administration to suspend a government official and order an inquiry. The road had been damaged by a mudslide triggered by heavy rains in the area in recent days. The official responsible for the road had reportedly informed the administration that it had been restored and was open to traffic. Read Full Story On Friday, the girl from remote Methyani village fell seriously ill and was being taken to Government Medical College (GMC), Rajouri, when the vehicle carrying her became stranded due to a mudslide at Chak Methyani. After hectic efforts, local volunteers managed to pull the vehicle out, but the girl’s condition deteriorated and she died while being taken to the hospital, officials said.
The Chak Methyani-Panglar-Kotecharwal road, the only road link connecting several remote villages in the area, was washed away near Methyani during last year’s monsoon and was subsequently restored temporarily. The same stretch was hit by another mudslide around two weeks ago, rendering the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) road unmotorable. The incident triggered anger among locals, who accused PMGSY authorities of negligence for failing to restore the vital road despite repeated pleas. A video related to the incident was also widely circulated on social media. Taking note of the incident, the Rajouri district administration issued an order stating that the Executive Engineer, PMGSY Division Rajouri, had informed the administration through an official WhatsApp group that the road had been restored and was trafficable. However, a subsequent verification by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Kotranka, found that the road remained in extremely poor condition due to landslides and deep ditches, making it unfit for vehicular movement.
According to the ADC’s report, the girl had been suffering from an illness for nearly a month and had earlier been admitted to Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu. She was discharged around two weeks ago, but her condition deteriorated again, prompting her family to take her to GMC Rajouri. The blocked road delayed the journey by nearly two to three hours, the report said. The ADC also highlighted the difficulties faced by residents of Narla Bamble, Kotecharwal and Panglar in transporting patients, food grains and fertilisers due to the damaged road. Taking serious note of the report, District Development Commissioner (DDC) Rajouri Abhishek Sharma ordered the immediate suspension of the Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), PMGSY Sub-Division Kalakote, who was also in charge of the Chak Methyani-Panglar-Kotecharwal road project, pending an inquiry. The DDC said that despite repeated directions to immediately restore the road damaged by recent rains, PMGSY authorities had failed to undertake the required work, indicating prima facie negligence and non-compliance with official instructions.
The BriefWire