The growing menace of road side parking in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley triggering traffic chaos is yet to attract the attention of traffic cops who spend most of their time in checking the documents of the drivers of private commercial vehicles on highway and main roads leading to Srinagar’s commercial hub Lal Chowk. Unless and until the traffic police does not curb the growing menace of roadside parking within and outside Srinagar city the traffic chaos in Srinagar and major towns of Kashmir won’t end the intensifying traffic jams. Though lack of traffic sense is the main cause for the unprecedented increase in the growing menace of roadside parking but failures in increasing the no of parking places in and around commercial hubs is a bigger cause for the growing menace of roadside parking both in Srinagar and as well as major towns of Kashmir. While the inadequate parking spaces in front of shopping malls and departmental stores is forcing people to park their vehicles on road sides, the building permission wings of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and municipal bodies of major towns are also not modifying the building permission rules for the construction of commercial complexes to fix a suitable criteria for adequate parking spaces within the premises of commercial complexes in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley. While the traffic regulation has been restricted to just clearance of the increasing traffic jams in Srinagar and major towns of Kashmir valley, a major offensive against road side parking either in Srinagar city or any major town in the valley from the traffic police department could have reduced the intensity of traffic Jams both on highways and as well as roads leading to commercial hubs in Srinagar and major towns of Kashmir valley.
By any standards of understandabilities the traffic regulation functionaries can’t evade explanations on its failures in expanding and increasing the existing parking places in and around commercial hubs in both Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley as this alone would reduce the increasing intensity of traffic jams in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley.
Keeping in view the unprecedented increase in the movement of vehicles on highways and main roads in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley, there is no short cut to concede the growing public demand for increasing and expanding the existing parking places and simultaneously demands for increasing the no of bus stands in the outskirts of Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley also deserve the immediate attention of the Government. By any standards of understandabilities the traffic regulation functionaries can’t evade explanations on its failures in expanding and increasing the existing parking places in and around commercial hubs in both Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley as this alone would reduce the increasing intensity of traffic jams in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley.
