Srinagar: With the traffic authorities disallowing the movement of cabs beyond new bus stand situated at Parimpora Srinagar, the same has become a source of great difficulty for the commuters who particularly travel from North Kashmir.
“It usually takes me more than one hour to travel from Sopore to Srinagar and then it takes me another hour to reach Batamaloo or Jehangir Chowk,” a daily commuter Riyaz Ahmad told The Kashmir Horizon.” “Shifting of bus-stand from Batamaloo to Parimpora was done in the interest of common people but the other measures taken with it are not serving the interests of people,” said Riyaz adding that “authority should do a reality check as how disallowing the movement of cabs towards Batamaloo is facilitatating plundering at the hands of auto drivers and above all this decision is ensuring a time-consuming commuting.”
According to cab owners who ferry the passengers from North Kashmir routes towards Srinagar, the traffic authorities have seized number of vehicles from last few days which were found ferrying the passengers in Batamaloo and Jehangir Chowk area of Srinagar. “The cabs coming from south Kashmir don’t face such problems, they are allowed to move up to the jehangir chowk area,” said a driver who wished not to be named adding that “we the cab drivers just want the concerned authority to allow us to drop the passengers at Batamaloo and we will ensure that the area does not turn into a sumo stand again.”
While talking to the other commuters who have to travel upto Narbal, Singhpora, Pattan and beyond told The Kashmir Horizon that we are charged as per the cab’s ‘set destination’ which is either Baramulla or Sopore. “Whenever I stop a cab which is bound for Baramulla or Sopore and tell its driver that I have to go Pattan, I am allowed to board the cab only when I agree to pay the full-fare that goes upto 100 rupees,” says Shabir Ahmad who is a daily commuter adding that “the authorized fare upto Pattan is 50 rupees.”
On the other hand the drivers justify this practice of overcharging by saying that they are taking a risk by travelling beyond Parimpora. “Last day at least 50 vehicles got seized in the Batamaloo area and we still show up in Batamaloo,” a driver told The Kashmir Horizon on the condition of anonymity adding that “we take this risk just to earn more money and not to incur a loss.”
When contacted SSP traffic Srinagar Tahir Saleem he told The Kashmir Horizon that the Hon’ble High Court has directed the traffic authorities not to allow the movement of passenger vehicles beyond Parimpora bus-stand and we have to follow the order.
When asked about the problem of fare overcharging he said that “the passenger who is being overcharged should contact me directly and I will make it sure that my team reaches the spot within minutes.”
