Though there is nothing wrong in removing encroachers from roads and footpaths in different areas of Srinagar city but actions without giving encroachers notices for winding up their vending shops and encroaching roads and footpaths is bound to trigger public criticism. Had the Srinagar Municipal Corporation issued notices to encroachers for winding up their vending shops before carrying out eviction drives against them it could have easily evaded public criticism against the eviction drive carried out by it all of a sudden? Irrefutable fact is that year after year the non stop menace of encroachment on footpaths and roads goes on unchecked not only in Srinagar city but in almost all the towns of Kashmir valley. Though hundreds of encroachers were rehabilitated in some shopping complexes in uptown areas of Srinagar city few years ago but after the government’s rehabilitation move the footpaths and roads were again encroached by new breed of encroachers with the hope that they too would acquire the right to get shops in government’s shopping malls under yet another rehabilitation move. Interestingly only two months ago some encroachers running their vending shops on Srinagar-Baramulla highway near Parimpora in the outskirts of Srinagar were removed in a joint eviction drive by Srinagar Municipal Corporation and City Traffic Police Srinagar but they returned to reoccupy the sub way on Srinagar-Baramulla highway near Parimpora again barely two months later and were running their vending shops for last more than two weeks in the area. So people committing wrongs of encroaching footpaths and roads only to intensify the growing traffic congestion both in Srinagar city and most of the towns of Kashmir valley have to be flatly denied the right to occupy the roads and footpaths with a genuine argument that roads are built for movement of traffic and footpaths for movement of people in cities and towns.
Encroachers whether running vending shops or plying passenger vehicles once given notices for eviction would cease the right to reoccupy the evicted spots again and immediate action against the attempts of encroachment is the only way to end the growing menace of encroachments and traffic congestion both in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley.
Not only footpath occupants but sumo vehicles and auto rickshaw drivers plying their vehicles for passenger services have to be equally blamed for traffic congestion in Srinagar as they don’t park their vehicles on taxi and auto stands established in different parts of the city and instead park their vehicles on every corner of the road at their own whims and wishes. Encroachers whether running vending shops or plying passenger vehicles once given notices for eviction would cease the right to reoccupy the evicted spots again and immediate action against the attempts of encroachment is the only way to end the growing menace of encroachments and traffic congestion both in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley.
