Srinagar
The administration seems to have failed to keep Sopore market decongested as it faces huge crowed, traffic mess and encroachments on the pavements.
People said that the traffic is much more of a challenge if you are on foot. They said that with a few exceptions, there are no footpaths left in Sopore.
“In crowded markets, shopkeepers and hawkers encroach on the pavement. Without a footpath to walk on, it takes a lot of skill to weave through the assorted obstructions to get to one’s destination”, they added.
“I think it has gone from bad to worse, especially in Iqbal Market, Degree College Road Road, Bandipora road and the surrounding area. There is no place to park the increasing number of cars, so they block the footpath. Pedestrians who want to use the footpath face obstructions because of vendors who set up everything from second-hand garments to tea stalls on the pavement,” a local news agency reported.
They said, “even in residential areas, if there are any footpaths, they have been encroached upon. We find it shocking that we have to walk on the road at the risk. We appeal to the SMC (Sopore Municipal Committee) to take action about this matter”.
