Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, June 19: High Court today directed the Traffic Police to allow the vehicles carrying material for construction and maintenance of works being undertaken by the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department in Srinagar city.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sanjay Dhar hearing the plea filed by Chief Engineer R&B Kashmir division, directed the Senior Superintendent of Police, Traffic and its agencies to permit the vehicles of department for carrying material for construction of roads within the municipal limits of Srinagar.
The application was moved by CE R&B Kashmir seeking permission for entry of vehicles carrying material for construction and macadamization of roads in Srinagar city during day time. It is noted that the High Court way back in the year 2005 had directed the Transport Commissioner and IG Traffic to take all required steps to stop entry of all trucks and medium load carriers into the city of Srinagar from 7 AM to 9 PM.
In compliance to this direction, Government has ordered that no truck or any kind of commercial goods carrier will be allowed to enter within the municipal limits of Srinagar from the prescribed time to avoid traffic congestion.
The SSP Traffic in March this year has also prohibited entry of such kind of vehicles into the Srinagar city from 7 AM to 10 PM in order to avoid traffic congestion. In these circumstances the department has no option but to approach to the court for permission for plying of vehicles during day time.
The Division Bench during the course of proceedings has been informed that the R&B Department is in-charge of activities pertaining to construction and maintenance of roads, bridges and major infrastructural buildings of all Government departments in J&K.
It has been submitted before the court that there is urgent need of repairing of dilapidated roads and macadamization of roads in the Srinagar city and without allowing entry of vehicles carrying the material for construction and macadamization of roads in the city during day time would affect the pace of development work as such the vehicles of R&B Department be allowed to entry city during day time.
Court after these submission made by the R&B counsel and in view of facts and circumstances issued notice to traffic police for filing of their stand and in the meantime directed SSP traffic and its agencies to permit vehicles of R&B Department carrying construction material of maintenance works being undertaken by the department within the limits of city Srinagar.
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