SRINAGAR: State’s hyper-active traffic manager Basant Rath on Friday said he is willing to take the extreme risk in delivering what he is tasked to. His message came on his Facebook wall in the evening after he cleared all the encroachment in the Hari Singh High Street junction and the Moulana Azad Road.
“No. Sloganeering doesn’t scare me. I’m here to deliver. I’ll do my job my way,” Rath wrote in his brief post on the FB. “I know I’m exposing myself to a lot of risks. Death included. Manzoor hai.”
The post came after his hectic day when he cleared all the street hawkers on the Hari Singh High Street, the Amira Kadal, Regal Chowk, Goni Khan, Maharaj Bazar and the rest of the M A Road.
Rath led a huge squad of municipal officials and the traffic police and took away all the material that was obstructing the movement of the traffic on this road, one of the busiest routes in Srinagar. The municipal officials seized a lot of vegetables and other items.
Angry hawkers attempted to plead their case and after he did not listen to offer any concession, they resorted to sloganeering as well. Later, the angry hawkers even protested. But the IGP (traffic) did not budge an inch.
In the last few weeks, Rath reclaimed a lot of road space for the use of the commuters.
Friday afternoon witnessed a smooth movement of traffic on the road but the day ended with Rath’s post, one of the most disturbing ones after he took over.
