Struggling to come to terms with the loss of her decorated younger brother, who underwent some of the toughest military training and was part of difficult operations, Pankaj, sister of Commando and Shaurya Chakra awardee Amit Singh Rana, has made a fervent appeal for better road safety in Himachal Pradesh.The poignant letter written by Pankaj to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has put the spotlight on poor road conditions and the lack of road safety measures on the state’s treacherous serpentine hill roads, which continue to witness fatal accidents claiming hundreds of lives.Amit Singh Rana (32), a MARCOS Commando, died in a road accident at Laharu on the Khundian-Lagdu road in Jwalamukhi while he was on his way to his native village on 40 days’ leave to be with his parents on the night of June 2.“Having stopped on the way to meet a friend, he could not even reach his village to meet his parents. He was declared brought dead at the hospital after his car plunged into a deep gorge as the road had no crash barriers,” said Pankaj (37) in an emotion-choked voice, while talking to The Tribune.As the family struggles to come to terms with the loss of a loving husband, doting father, caring son and affectionate brother, the last thing on their mind is blaming anyone.“I have just one humble request. No other family should ever have to endure the pain and suffering that our family is going through today,” Pankaj wrote.Amit is survived by his wife, three-and-a-half-year-old son, parents and two sisters.In her letter to the Chief Minister, Pankaj appealed that the government should not wait for another tragedy. “With folded hands, I request you to install proper crash barriers and warning signs, and ensure timely road repairs and regular safety inspections on the Khundian-Lagdu road in Kangra district, as well as on other hilly roads in Himachal Pradesh,” she wrote.Last year, 806 persons lost their lives in 1,932 road accidents in Himachal Pradesh. This year, the death toll had reached 189 in 897 road accidents by May 31. Fatal accidents, especially on narrow hill roads in Chamba, Kinnaur, Sirmaur, Kullu and Shimla districts, remain a matter of grave concern.She said if Amit had lost his life while protecting the country’s borders, it would still have been heart-breaking, but the family would have found solace in the fact that he had made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the nation.“But today, it is difficult for us to accept that such a brave soldier lost his life on a broken road. We cannot bring Amit back, but if his story helps save even one life, another family may be saved from this lifelong pain,” she wrote in the letter which she also sent to the Chief Secretary and the PWD authorities.