Letter.

Letter Published in The National UAE on 7oct 22 Better roads could prevent tragedies With regard to Taniya Dutta’s report At least 25 dead after bus falls into gorge in Indian Himalayas(October 4): The recent mishap in the Indian state of Uttarakhand was sad to read. The state of many of the country’s roads make this sort of tragedy more familiar than it should be. The terrain and the monsoon rains does not help keep the roads in good shape. It is a sad fact that reports of road deaths in the country are all too common. As the piece quantifies it, 150,000 people on average are killed each year in traffic accidents in India. This bus was carrying more than 40 passengers for a wedding and it fell into a gorge, killing 25. More people are missing. The roads in Uttrakhand can be narrow and steep and exceptionally dangerous so it may be one of the reasons for the mishap. The local governments must prioritise the redevelopment and maintenance of the roads to ensure the safety of all passengers. I pray for the departed passengers and the grieving family members. K Ragavan, Bengaluru, India