Advisor Ganai, Skandan highlight issues, solutions at seminar on traffic in Srinagar

Srinagar: Advisors to Governor, Khurshid Ahmed Ganai and K. Skandan Saturday spoke on the issue of traffic scenario in Srinagar during a seminar organised by State centre of Institution of Engineers (IEI) India.
The central theme of seminar was to debate on issues that ail the traffic system of this city.
Advisor Ganai said to meet the challenges posed by increase in traffic, a well defined proper transport policy is need of the hour. He suggested that policy should define the proportion of private and public transport to be allowed to ply on roads. Besides, it should govern the kind and type of vehicles to be used in different areas of our state.
Terming human settlements and traffic as interconnected, Ganai called for planning new settlements along hard pressed karewas to ease pressure on congested areas of the State. He also advocated for establishment of Mass Rapid Transport System as a long term solution to this problem.
Advisor K Skandan said with intervention of modern technology and proper planning, traffic issues have been resolved world over. He suggested for emulating example of Japan to tackle this problem.
Elaborating further, Skandan said urban planning effectively answers such troubles. “The segregation of business districts from other areas smartly helps in overcoming traffic troubles,” said Skandan. He informed that State has embarked on a path of successfully addressing traffic problems by introducing Metropolitan Authorities and Rapid Transport Systems in the twin cities. He said on their completion the problems will get resolved to a larger extent.
The grey areas which were pinpointed by the speakers during seminar include large scale encroachments of roads, aggressive driving, traffic rule violations, ill respect for right of way, lack of enforcement and awareness of traffic rules and disparity between infrastructure and vehicles plying on roads. The speakers observed that addressing these issues in short and long term would prove highly beneficial for the overall improvement in traffic condition of state.
The other speakers who spoke on the traffic issues and their mitigation and management include Chairman IEI Er. Aamir Ali, SSP traffic Tahir Gilani, Journalist Azhar Qadri, Advocate Ateeb Kant, Er. Mohammad Ashraf Fazili, Er. Firdous Ahmad Bhat, Dr. Shabir Ahmad Sofi, Dr M S Mir and Peer Muzamil.