The exploitation of passengers caused by unwanted traffic diversions and unregulated cab services in Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir has gone unnoticed for the last more than two months. While there is no parking facility for the passenger vehicles run for taxi services in city centre Lal Chowk, the drivers of all light passenger vehicles are forced to drop passengers near Iqbal Park and hire waiting auto rickshaws for their onward journey to Lal Chowk and Batmaloo areas at a fixed fare of not less than Rs 50/-. Disallowing light passenger vehicles to proceed to city centre areas like Jahangir Chowk, Lal Chowk and Batamaloo and allowing waiting auto rickshaws to ferry passengers from Iqbal park (Near Bakhshi Stadium) to city centre destinations like Jahangir Chowk, Lal Chowk and Batamaloo leaves passengers at liberty to accuse traffic cops of giving auto rickshaw drivers the liberty to fleece gullible passengers for their short distance travels from Iqbal park to above mentioned nearest city centre destinations. Lately the light passenger vehicles run on South Srinagar routes like Rangreth, Chadoora, Nowgam and Humhama have been asked to travel via Tengpora Bye pass road instead of Rambag and Bhagat Barzulla routes for unknown reasons without showing any concern for the huge convenience caused to passengers in light passenger vehicles on these routes. While minimum inconvenience should have been the priority of traffic regulators in traffic diversions, the traffic diversions enforced by the traffic regulators are causing huge inconvenience to passengers while using light passenger vehicles on most of the South Srinagar routes and unfortunately there is no dead end to these unwanted diversions. What multiplies the woes of passengers failing to get access to light passenger vehicles in Jahangir Chowk and other adjoining city centre areas is the unregulated NOVA cab service presently operated in Srinagar city.
Unwanted traffic diversions in city centre areas particularly at the Iqbal Park gate nearer to Bakhshi Stadium and regulation of the unregulated cab services are the two pressing issues of city traffic management which demand immediate attention and intervention of the traffic regulator for the purposes of immediate resolution of passenger grievances in Srinagar city.
Though allegations are galore that cabs charge Rs 50/- more than the booking amount for travel to different destinations in Srinagar city but traffic police does not take note of such allegations. Such allegations of cash fleecing practices against cab service operators demand immediate attention and intervention of the traffic regulators for the purposes of immediate punishment to the guilty. Unwanted traffic diversions in city centre areas particularly at the Iqbal Park gate nearer to Bakhshi Stadium and regulation of the unregulated cab services are the two pressing issues of city traffic management which demand immediate attention and intervention of the traffic regulator for the purposes of immediate resolution of passenger grievances in Srinagar city.
