Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Sept 9: High Court today closed a 20-year-old PIL regarding decongestion of traffic in and outside the Srinagar city and asked the authorities to implement the suggestions which were placed before the court while implementing the traffic rules.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal said the reliefs which were sought in the PIL at the time of its filing have rendered stale as the traffic conditions in the city may have improved and may have gone down again for which appropriate steps are being taken by the concerned authorities.
Court said that it is not the case of anyone that the concerned authorities are not taking proper action or are negligent. During the pendency of the PIL the court while extending the scope of the PIL passed so many directions from time to time to the authorities which include shifting the bus and sumo-taxi stands outside the city, banning the condemned vehicles, removing of bottlenecks on various routes.
The DB opined that in case any of the ancillary issues survive which were raised in the PIL, the party aggrieved may raise it by means of a separate writ petition and it is not appropriate to deal with those issues in this petition which was filed for a different cause of action. The court, however, has asked the report of the Amicus Curiae dated 19.05.2021 making certain suggestions regarding the decongestion of the traffic may be placed before the concerned authorities and they are free to deal with those suggestions while implementing the traffic rules.
The amicus in his report submitted that the identified issues have not been completely dealt with nor the desired result has been achieved. As far as imposing a ban on 15-25 years old vehicles, the Government has passed an order of banning commercial vehicles plying on roads for 25 years w.e.f 01/04/2007. Also, making compulsory fitness tests after every six months for passenger/commercial vehicles aged from 15 to 25 years and the constituted committee was supposed to submit its report before the court but no report filed till date.
Another suggestion is CNG installation in Srinagar and Jammu and the authorities were directed to take immediate steps for setting up of CNG stations in the cities of Jammu and Kashmir but, till date no headway has been made.
So for as issue of experts for de-escalation of traffic at Pantha Chowk outskirts of city is concerned, amicus submitted that the Pantha Chowk serves as a regional bus stand for the city and it can cater the need for one part of the city but it has not been put to its efficient use. Rather, its potential is unused.
“The public transport is not completely harnessing the potential of regional bus stand. Infact, the vehicular movement especially of public transport is being made from outside of the Pantha Chowk Bus Stand instead of inside which has result in great chaos and confusion outside of the Pantha Chowk Bus stand. The outer beautification of the said bus stand has been marred by hawkers and street vendors.
Jammu and Kashmir as suggested, needs to have a traffic management policy like any other states or UT’s of the country. It is respectfully suggested that there must be a traffic advisor who would be a technical expert and would guide the Government with regard to the management and the flow of traffic.
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