Traffic chaos heads to no dead end on almost all the roads in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir as roadside parking is spreading at a great intensity in almost all parts of the Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir Valley. Better it would have been for the traffic police to use their more time and energy on curbs against roadside parking than on checking the documents of both passenger and commercial vehicles on highways 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 rise in the growing menace of roadside parking but failures in increasing the no of parking places in and around main commercial hubs in cities and towns are largely contributing to the growing menace of roadside parking both in Srinagar and as well as major towns of Kashmir. While 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 for furthering the causes of 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 in the morning and evening hours, 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 in morning and evening hours both on highways and as well as roads leading to commercial hubs in Srinagar and major towns of Kashmir valley. Just few years ago Jammu & Kashmir High Court had banned movement of trucks, tippers and load careers from 8.00 A.M in the morning to 8.00 in the evening at the instance of J&K Traffic Police but this practice was abandoned later despite the fact that it has eased traffic jams in peak morning and evening hours. Had this practice been continued the intensity of traffic jam in Srinagar city won’t have been as greater as it is now on the city roads.
“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 morning hours in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley”.
Keeping in view the unprecedented rise in the movement of vehicles on highways and main roads in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley in the morning and evening hours, there is no short cut to concede the growing public demand for increasing and expanding the existing parking places and simultaneously. The rising 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 morning and evening hours in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley.
