KL Report
SRINAGAR
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Sunday expressed concern over the prevailing sad state of affairs on the Srinagar-Jammu highway and the continued difficulty faced by the passengers. The party also castigated the government for not taking up serious efforts to mitigate the problems of the people in view of the recent snowfall in the Valley, particularly in the south Kashmir.
In a statement issued to KNS, the party’s General Secretary, Mohammad Dilawar Mir has said the condition on the highway has worsened due to the recent snowfall and authorities seem sleeping over the mess there which has resulted into the huge inconvenience for the travellers.
He said the highway mismanagement has given rise to chaos and the long traffic jams have become usual now and the government is seen nowhere to check and streamline the things.
Mir said due to the lack of basic amenities like shelters, rest houses, the passengers have been left at the mercy of private people who resort to opportunism and fleece them. With the result stranded passengers would prefer to stay in their own vehicles, otherwise they have to pay huge money to avail accommodation, Mir said adding this is the normal practice going on the road and there is no proper mechanism in place to check the mess.
Similarly, during such circumstances the food provided to passengers is mostly substandard which is sold on inflated prices and there is no check to control prices and quality of food.
The slippery conditions at some stretches on the road will force the traffic to ply with snail’s pace which is adding to the woes of passengers, Mir said adding though there is one way traffic on the highway but at times it is not followed properly which is also responsible for traffic jams.
He said the snow is yet to be cleared of the internal roads in Kashmir particularly in the South Kashmir. In view of these serious prevailing cold conditions power is yet to be restored in most of the areas and there is huge sacristy of ration, drinking water, LPG and other essential commodities from the market, Mir added.
