Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 6: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today sought cooperation of people of the State to cope with increased road traffic and called upon students to voluntarily help implement odd-even scheme, similar to the one in Delhi.
“Till the time all the departments come together and people do not cooperate, there will be no solution to traffic woes. We will try to remove bottlenecks, start bus services and other facilities, but I seek cooperation of the people in this,” Mehbooba told reporters here.
The Chief Minister was speaking to the media after chairing a high-level meeting on traffic problems.
Mehbooba called upon the students of various colleges and universities to set an example by implementing odd-even scheme.
“You see many vehicles are parked outside a college, students come in cars to colleges, similarly in universities and they occupy a lot of space.
“I think that if they take this initiative, others will follow. It will be an example for the whole world that our students have voluntarily started something,” she said.
The Chief Minister said if the students succeed, then peoples’ mindset would automatically change.
“So, I am looking forward to cooperation from our young boys and girls to show us the way by adopting odd-even,” she said.
Mehbooba said she has asked officials to free up space in the commercial hub of Lal Chowk and make it a model for other areas to follow.
“I told the officials to free up space in and around Lal Chowk. I told them to ask the traders and common people to park their vehicles only at designated parking spaces by giving them weekly or monthly packages so that no one parks their vehicle on the road.
“We want to turn Lal Chowk into a model and I request traders and shopkeepers to help us in doing that, because if they do not, then we will not be able to do anything,” she said.
The Chief Minister also said vendors who have occupied footpaths in various areas of the city would be vacated and a suitable place allocated to them.
“I want some space to be allocated to vendors. I told the officials to register them through their Aadhar cards, so that they are given separate spaces and footpaths are vacated,” she said.
Seeking cooperation and suggestions from all stakeholders and civil society, Mehbooba described traffic management as a huge challenge, especially in view of long-term transport system that is being executed in the capital cities and major towns.
She said while the administration will have to find quick solution to the traffic congestion and mobility problem on urban and rural routes, it is for the civil society, especially youth, to show the way by their own conduct on roads.
“The student community and trader organizations could lead by voluntarily taking to new concepts of traffic decongestion like odd-even plan and car pooling,” she said, while chairing a high-level meeting to find workable solution which incorporates better traffic management into people’s daily commute.
Director General of Police, K Rajendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Navin K Chaudhary, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Hassan Samoon, IGP, Kashmir Zone, SJM Gillani, IG Traffic, Shafkat Watali, Transport Commissioner, Pervez Khate-eb, Commissioner SMC, Bashir Ahmad Khan, Director ULBs, Kashmir, Tufail Mattoo and all Deputy Commissioners of the Valley attended the meeting.
Recognizing the huge challenge posed by ever-growing traffic congestion and blatant encroachment of public spaces, Mehbooba Mufti asked the enforcement wings to get their act together so that some respite is provided to the commuters and pedestrians, who find their space shrinking with each passing day. She also asked DGP to commit additional manpower to the traffic wing for better regulation in movement of vehicles.
“Shifting of offices after Darbar Move further aggravates the problem. Therefore, putting a proper mechanism in place is the need of the hour,” she said, while calling for stringent action against those who defy rules and use mobile phones while driving and jump traffic signals.
The Chief Minister was informed by SSP Traffic, Maqsood-uz-Zaman that to manage 3.50 lakh vehicles, only 500 personnel are presently available for manning 120 intersections, even when the actual requirement is 1200.
To restrict increasingly surging traffic from north and south corridors from entering the city centre which is already bursting at its seams, Mehbooba Mufti also passed directions for making Parimpora and Pantha Chowk Bus Stands immediately functional. She also directed Chief Engineer R&B and CEO ERA to start immediate up-gradation and resurfacing of city roads as the pressure on these has increased manifold due to diversion of traffic from Rambagh to Jahangir Chowk, because of construction of flyover.
Stressing upon restoring the sanctity of pedestrian walkways and motorable roads, the Chief Minister directed Municipal Commissioner to start Aadhar-based biometric registration of all hawkers and street vendors.
This, she said will help in their relocation to identified clusters within the city centre, preferably closer to bus terminals, where they can earn their livelihood with dignity.
“The authority of the government has to be strictly enforced in evicting encroachers who have eaten up our footpaths and walkways, thus making it literally impossible for the pedestrians to even tread around the city centre,” she said, while fixing a deadline of 50 days to start the process of Aadhar-based mapping of vendors and hawkers.
The DGP informed the meeting that a company will be placed at the disposal of Commissioner SMC to help evict encroachers from footpaths and walkways.
Mehbooba Mufti said till our multi-tier parking facilities become functional, regular parking slots have to be identified in the vicinity of Lal Chowk for easing traffic congestion. She also floated the idea of creating ‘non-vehicular traffic zones’ in the city which could provide walking space for locals and visiting tourists. “We can start with Polo View and Koker Bazaar, where apart from locals, tourists could go and explore shopping opportunities and take back a different opinion of the place,” she added. On expansion of KMD parking slot in the heart of the Srinagar city, the Chief Minister issued directions for immediate shifting of Ranbir Printing Press to its new premises at Pampore. Once complete, the parking will accommodate nearly 1000 cars, which is expected to bring some relief to the people.
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