Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Nov 1: The administration is forcing the passengers to travel from Southern parts of the Valley to the city in overcrowded buses as it has blocked the entry of passenger cabs into Srinagar.
Since last week, the passenger cabs are barred from entering the city. They are compelled to drop off their passengers near Panthachowk – the entry point to Srinagar city from south Kashmir – which is around 6-7 kilometres away from their exact destination. For the rest of the journey, the commuters had to wait for hours and then cramp into minibuses without bothering about the COVID-19 guidelines.
The cab drivers and commuters lamented that the administration, on one hand, is advising people to keep social distance, but on the other, they are forcing them to travel in crowded buses. “The police officers are stopping us from entering the city since last week. We have to drop off our passengers here and take a U-turn. We have no other choice, but to comply,” Sajjad Ahmad, a cab driver said, adding that the commuters are facing inconvenience because of the restrictions.
Every day hundreds of people from different parts of south Kashmir travel to the city for treatment, work and other purposes. But, they are left stranded on the road near Pantha Chowk with meager public transports available for the onward journey.
The patients are the worst sufferers. “I am taking my ailing mother to the hospital and the cab dropped us in the middle of nowhere. I have been asking for a lift for an hour with no success. I did not see any reason for barring entry of our cab into the city,” passengers said.
The commuters said that the frequent traffic stoppages along the NH44 are already a cause of concern for them. “This thing has added to our problems. Our daily commuting has become a nightmare for us,” another commuter, Sabir Bashir said.
The commuters said the decision is putting them vulnerable to the COVID-19 as they cannot maintain social distancing in minibuses. “Since the ban, I have been travelling in an overcrowded bus from Pantha Chowk to Dalgate in the minibus without any social distancing. Why is administration pushing people for this,” a local said.
Senior Superintendent of Police Srinagar, Javeed Koul, told Excelsior that the stoppage of cabs is part of the ongoing plan to decongest the city. “This decision was taken in line with the others measures including of shifting of Batamalloo Bus stand and actions against wrong parking and all this is being done to smoothen the traffic in the city,” he said. He, however, added the vehicle with contract carriage permits are allowed to enter the city and only stage carrier vehicles are denied entry.
He said these vehicles would often choke the city traffic, leading to problems of commuting for thousands of people in the city. “They had created chaos in the city, especially at Jahangir Chowk. This decision was necessary as people were facing problems,” he said.
Asked about the problems faced by the passengers due to this decision, he said: “We have made enough government and private transport facilities available for the passengers. We are examining the situation and have already taken up the issue with the State Road Transport for further assistance,” he said.
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