Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, June 14: A day after the re-opening of markets in Srinagar and adjoining areas following around 3 month long pandemic lockdown, the distraught transporters have urged the administration to ease their sufferings by allowing them to resume their services.
The transporters said they are unable to make their ends meet due to two back-to-back lockdowns which the Valley witnessed in the last ten months. However, the administration’s move to re-open the markets has stirred hope among them as it has increased their chances to hit the roads again and put an end to miseries of their families.
They said that they too could carry 50% of the total capacity of their passenger vehicles to maintain social distancing but further delay may further devastate the transport industry. All commercial vehicles came to a halt on March 15 and since then they remain off the road in the wake of COVID 19 pandemic.
Shabir Ahmad, Chairman, All Transporters Welfare Association Kashmir said that they are ready to follow the Standard Operation Procedures (SOPs) and other necessary guidelines. “If the buses of the SRTC can ply on the roads why is administration hesitant in our case. We too can run our services with all the necessary precautions. We don’t want to force people but are asking administration as debt is mounting on us,” he said. He advised administration to follow Governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan who hiked the fare by 20 to 30% and allowed vehicles to ply while following the SOPs.
He said that the transport sector has been particularly dented hard by the two back to back lockdowns after the 5th August, when the Government abrogated Article 370. “In between we resumed for two months since 5th August, but COVID-19 has devastated the sector. All the people associated with the sector including drivers and conductors are passing through difficult times,” he said.
Mohammed Yousef, General secretary All Transport Welfare Society Srinagar, said that the transporters have put forth some of the demands to the administration. “The vehicle owners should be given compensation for the losses, they suffered in the last ten months. Drivers and conductors should be given a relief package,” he said.
He added ranging from Rs 20,000-70, 000 the vehicle owners have to pay insurance premiums annually which are impossible for them to bear in the present the situation. “We want the Government to extend the dates for one year as our vehicles are stalled for the last ten months,” he said.
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