Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Nov 27: The All Jammu and Kashmir Transporters Welfare Association announced today that it is drafting a resolution to address the pressing issues faced by the Transport sector and plans to present it to the government.
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Addressing a press conference here today, Chairman of the AJKTWA, Karan Singh Wazir explained that stakeholders from various segments of the Transport sector are collaborating to outline their concerns in a memorandum.
“To find solutions to these issues, we will prepare a detailed memorandum and present it to the Chief Minister, pushing for their resolution,” he said. He highlighted several challenges, including those related to e-buses and e-rickshaws. “We will draft a memorandum covering issues such as passenger tax, e-buses, and their routes,” Wazir added.
He further said that the memorandum would also address problems faced by other transport services, such as Jammu taxis, tempos, and buses. “There are numerous issues concerning transporters. We will prioritize and specifically address the challenges faced by taxi, Sumo, bus, and truck operators,” he said.
The Association plans to finalize a comprehensive list of grievances before formally appealing to the Government. “Once the memorandum is complete, we will request the government to take immediate action. If these issues remain unresolved, we would not hesitate to hit the roads,” he warned.
Wazir also said that the Association has not yet met with the Lieutenant Governor. “We intend to discuss the memorandum with the government after it is finalized,” he added.
Earlier, a convention of transporters from all districts of J&K was held here, which was presided over by Karan Singh Wazir, Chairman All J&K Transporters Welfare Association and attended by heads of different transport unions and transport owners.
The agenda of the convention was to bring together key stakeholders of the transport sector from both Kashmir and Jammu regions. The convention deliberated on the challenges faced by the transport sector and the way ahead to deal with these difficulties.
In the convention, the transporters discussed several issues impacting the day-to-day functioning of the transport sector in J&K, which generates significant revenue for the government in the form of different taxes and contributes to its economy.
Wazir highlighted the issues of rising fuel costs, heavy taxes, insurance costs, which have significantly increased operational expenses, and inadequate infrastructure, such as poor road conditions, lack of modern bus terminals, and insufficient parking facilities. He emphasized the absence of a comprehensive policy framework to address transporters’ needs and the ongoing struggles of many operators to repay loans amidst financial challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The issue related to SRTC buses being halted by traffic police authorities in Srinagar and the routes for e-buses and e-rickshaws were also highlighted in the convention.
He urged the government to identify space and provide proper facilities to the drivers, especially on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, where transport vehicles are stuck in jams due to landslide and closure of National Highway for hours and days, and the hapless crew members of these vehicles remain without water, food, or washroom facilities.
Prominent transporters and union leaders who attended/ addressed the convention included Ajaz Ahmad, Matt Shabir Ahmad, Mohd Yousuf Sheikh, Abdul Majid, Mukhtar Ahmad, Qayoom Wani; Jammu province members Vijay Chib, Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Labh Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Gurdeep Singh, Mohinder Singh, Ranjit Singh, KD Singh and others.
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