Sajidah Yousuf
Srinagar, Apr 09: With no mechanism to regulate the traffic of mini-cabs plying through Pantha Chowk-Badamibagh stretch, thousands of commuters coming from the southern district of Kashmir are being compelled to take a time-consuming detour to enter the city.
The commuters told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that through Pantha Chowk-Badamibagh stretch, it takes them only 10-15 minutes to enter the Srinagar city, however due to the unnecessary diversions of traffic at Pantha Chowk, the public is being compelled to take alternative routes that consume nearly an hour.
The commuters said that the mini-cabs coming from four districts of south Kashmir are being stopped at Pantha Chowk and are being forced to take an alternative route through Lasjan or Sanat Nagar to enter the city.
One of the commuters Nusrat Shabir of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district said, “Every day, I have to reach Women’s College MA road but I never reach the college on time because of the traffic diversion installed by the authorities at Pantha Chowk.”
She said that it takes her nearly 40 minutes extra via the alternative routes and usually misses her first-class in the morning.
Ironically, scores of patients having appointments at GB Panth hospital also said that they couldn’t meet the doctor because of the traffic diversion.
SSP traffic Srinagar, Javid Ahmad Koul told the KNO that due to the four-way, traffic is being diverted to a different direction.
“We have to stop the traffic there for the diversion,” he said—(KNO)
