A New Era of Road Safety in Kishtwar

Letter to Editor

- Ayaan Saroori

Kishtwar’s roads tell the story of a place caught between transition and tradition. The largest district in Jammu and Kashmir’s Chenab Valley, Kishtwar connects critical routes to both Jammu and Kashmir, serving as a lifeline for commerce, travel, and daily life.

Yet, until recently, these roads were battlegrounds of defiance, a theatre where traffic rules were treated like suggestions, and risk was worn like a badge of honour.

In every corner of Kishtwar, from the narrow streets of the district headquarters to the rugged rural byways, helmets gathered dust, seatbelts went unused, and speeding was celebrated. Young drivers, many underage, mimicked reckless stunts, their bravado fueled by a pervasive culture of impunity. The Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) struggled to keep pace, confronting not only a lack of infrastructure but a deeper, more dangerous mindset.

This year, however, the narrative is beginning to shift.