The tragic death of 29-year-old Akshay Kaura has triggered widespread concern over the deteriorating condition of neglected roads in Kangra district, with fresh questions being raised about whether timely repairs could have prevented the fatal accident. To the authorities, it may appear to be yet another road mishap, but for his grieving family it is the irreparable loss of their only earning member — an unmarried young man with immense aspirations who had built a successful career as a stock market trainer and mentor to thousands of students across the region.
Two days after Akshay’s car plunged nearly 300–400 metres into a gorge at Narghota near Dharamsala, the Public Works Department (PWD) installed a stone barricade and caution board at the accident site. The CCTV footage circulating on social media reportedly shows the vehicle travelling at a controlled speed before encountering a road slide that begins from the middle of the carriageway, making it difficult for motorists to detect in time.
Akshay was the sole breadwinner of his family. His untimely death has left his elderly parents devastated. On Friday, the bereaved parents met Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu at the Circuit House in Dharamsala, where he assured them that a comprehensive inquiry would be conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
PWD Sub-Divisional Officer Balbit, posted at Gaggal, confirmed that the road slide had existed since August last year. He added that the department installed the caution board and stone barricading only after the fatal accident.
The incident at Narghota has once again drawn attention to the hazardous condition of several roads across Kangra district, many of which have remained unrepaired since last year’s monsoon. Residents allege that repeated complaints about the damaged stretch, broken road edges, blind curves and the absence of crash barriers were ignored. They question why the authorities act only after lives are lost.
Officials, meanwhile, attribute the delay in repairs to a shortage of funds and the non-availability of bitumen.
Advocate Aashima Kalra, who has stepped forward to support the family, said she would challenge the FIR in court, arguing against holding the victim responsible for a tragedy linked to a neglected road. Residents, meanwhile, are calling for a road safety audit, timely maintenance and greater accountability.
For Akshay’s grieving family, however, no inquiry can undo the loss of a son whose promising future ended on a stretch of road that many say had been crying out for attention for months.
