Srinagar: Kashmir Transporters Welfare Association (KTWA) on Wednesday threatened to extend ‘Chakka jam’ if the government failed to meet their demands forthwith.
The transport organization called for a two-day strike across Kashmir Valley from Wednesday to protest the shifting of General Bus Stand Batmaloo to Parimpora on city outskirts.
Spokesman of KTWA Mohammad Yaseen told INS that Batmaloo is the hub of business activities and shifting the bus stand will adversely affect the traders in the area. He said that the government is blaming the big buses for causing traffic jams which is untrue.
“Today no big buses are playing on the roads but still you can see traffic mess outside the bus stand. It is because of ill planned traffic management. The government is making us the scapegoat,” Yaseen said.
He said that passengers from various parts of the Valley particularly North Kashmir visit the bus stand as buses to various routes ply from the stand. “Once the stand is shifted, the business community will face huge losses. People have purchased shops in and around the bus stand as they expect huge sales due to the huge influx of people there but once the bus stand is shifted their business will come to a standstill,” he said, adding, “We tried to meet Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti many times in the past two months regarding the issue but to no avail,” Khan added.
Meanwhile, commuters including students, senior citizens and office goers had to face hardships following the Chakka Jam by the transporters. Many students told INS that they missed their classes due to the unavailability of the transport.
Suhail Ahmad, a student from HMT Srinagar told INS that he missed his opening classes at his college as public transport was not available.
Another commuter, Farooq Ahmad Dar from Qamarwari Srinagar, who works as a salesman at City centre Lal Chowk, said that he faced tremendous hardship in reaching his work place.
“Everyone here doesn’t own a private vehicle and is mostly dependent on public transport and as such the government should immediately resolve the issue (of transporters),” Dar said.
On August 16, the Jammu& Kashmir High Court ordered the Srinagar Development Authority (SDA to seal the general bus stand at Batmaloo here to be eventually used for public purpose.
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