Pulwama, September 8: If you don’t have a vehicle of your own, it would be difficult to go from Pulwama district in south Kashmir to LalChowk in Srinagar.
LalChowk has been impossible to get to for thousands of locals, including students, patients, and government workers, since February of this year.
LalChowk was closed to taxis coming from Pulwama, Anantnag, and Tral regions in south Kashmir after renovations were made to the historic neighbourhood as part of the Smart City initiative.
The president of the Sumo Stand in Pulwama, Mohamamd Hussain, said that the traffic officials did not let taxis from these locations to enter the city.
Numerous automobiles that had been parked in a space close to Press Colony were also confiscated and challaned, according to Hussain. Hussain said, “Later, we obtained their release through the court.” taxis arriving from other areas of south Kashmir were eventually allowed to enter LalChowk, but the ban persisted for the taxis coming from Pulwama, causing the commuters a great deal of trouble. “We just go between PanthaChowk and Pulwama. These retractions are only for us,” Hussain stated.
To get to LalChowk, commuter Zeeshan Ahmad informed Greater Kashmir that they had to switch between at least three different cars. Such limitations, he said, have “increased our travel time by at least 40 to 45 minutes.” Ahmad said that they also had to pay an additional charge. Ahmad stated, “Sometimes we have to hire an auto rickshaw to reach well on time at our destination,” adding that Pulwama is being treated unfairly.
A 19-year-old female student from the Muran neighbourhood of Pulwama described her struggle, saying that the previous time she was detained in traffic for more than 40 minutes at Sonawar and that by the time she got to PanthaChowk, the final taxi headed for Pulwama had already left the stand. “I was unsure about what to do. When I finally dialled home, a family member was despatched to pick me up, she added.
Nearly all of the local pupils had similar experiences. The patients were on the receiving end, according to a taxi driver who had been driving from Pulwama to LalChowk for the previous 8 years. They beg us to dump them off in Dalgate or LalChowk, he claimed.
Greater Kashmir was informed by Regional Transport Officer for Kashmir, Syed Shahnawaz Bukhari, that the taxis had not been prohibited from entering the city. However, he emphasized that as part of the decongestion procedure, the traffic police can impose the limitations.
