Proposed bus stops nowhere to be seen

Traffic Congestion In Srinagar

Despite collecting Rs 2 crore as fine from traffic violators last year, the state government has failed to ensure proper bus stops in the city, which has worsened the traffic congestion situation.
Srinagar, the state’s summer capital, has a population of nearly 1.3 million. The city requires more than 300 bus stops but the absence of the same continues to be a cause of concern for locals, for whom travelling has become a difficult experience.
“The buses do not have proper stops here. They stop wherever they like and this causes traffic jams and wastes time. Nothing is being done to bring an end to it,” a commuter said.
Earlier this month, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Asgar Hassan Samoon had said the work to build 10 new passenger sheds in city was going on. However, the locals blamed that the work was going on at a snail’s pace and at a few places only.
The already constructed bus stops and bus bays remained out of service as authorities have failed to implement the regulations and have done little to create awareness among transporters. Also, the lack of maintenance has turned the existing bus stops into garbage dumps and parking spots, they alleged.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Traffic, Maqsood Zaman said the department collected a fine of Rs 2 crore from 1.25 lakh violators in 2015. It was working on construction of modern bus stops in the city to ensure traffic discipline.
“We are trying to get the bus stops constructed in collaboration with private entrepreneurs. We have also sent the proposal for the construction of 115 bus stops to the Road and Building Department. We have already constructed and renovated 29 new and modern bus stops in collaboration with Delhi Public School,” he added.