Srinagar, Nov 12: The state government’s seriousness towards Srinagar interests can be gauged from the fact that for the past five months, the City’s traffic police is almost headless despite chaos on the streets.
 Since June when the unrest erupted, initially within two months, the government transferred the Senior Superintendent of Police, City Traffic, thrice.
 And finally, SSP Rural Traffic was given the additional charge of the City affairs.
 This is despite the fact that the City is comparatively being seen as a more important beat than elsewhere because majority of the traffic rush, amounting to nearly 70 percent of Valley’s traffic, zooms past the capital streets.

GOVT CONCERN
 Despite growing public resentment over traffic mess in the City, instead of further strengthening the department, the government went on head rolling quite frequently.
 This way, before the City traffic head could get familiar with his job, he was replaced.
 The first transfer came in June, soon after the killing of Shahr-e-Khaas teenager Tufail Ahmed Mattoo when the then SP Traffic, Showkat Shah holding the SSP’s charge was transferred.
 He was replaced by then SSP City Javed Riyaz Bedar. But within a month, Bedar was be replaced by his colleague. But this time before the official would take the charge, the SSP Rural Traffic was directed to look after the City business as an additional affair. Since then he’s looking after it.

THE KEY JOB
 Observers said the SP Traffic had a pivotal role in traffic management.
 “Basically traffic is the department where from constable to IGP everyone has one job that is: traffic regulation and collection of fine… But still SP holds the key,” said a retired police official adding “SP is not only the supervisory head but he functions as regulatory head as well.”
 Presently the cops, as per the observers, are only busy fighting traffic jams than planning to streamline traffic.
 “This is because, the key person is missing.”

THE CHAOS
 The head rolling in the Traffic police is taking toll from the Srinagar streets, which witness frequent jams.
 Precious time of people goes waste in the gridlocks while the Traffic cops look helpless before the flood of vehicles.
 The closer you go towards the City centre of Lal Chowk, the messier it is.
 For the majority of people, Budshah Bridge is the only access to Lal Chowk from north, because the other alternative, the Amira Kadal bridge often remains occupied by public transport buses, which move at snail’s pace leaving little or no space for other vehicles.
 Interestingly, the ongoing unrest has furthered the chaos because in a breather for normal life when relaxation in announced by separatist leadership, more of vehicles rush out on the streets resulting in more of chaos.

OTHER WEAKNESS
 Being “headless” for City isn’t the only issue before the Traffic police, its also “running short of workforce”.
 It runs short of the Deputy Superintendent of Police. As against the reported requirement of four DSPs, there’s mere one of them looking after the entire City.
 And same is the plight at the ground level. Much against the reported requirement of 600 odd cops, mere 250 manage the entire traffic, even though the number the vehicles plying the roads here is around four lakh.

DIG SPEAKS
 The Deputy Inspector General of Police, Traffic Qayoom Manhas, however, downplays the transfers issue terming it a routine affair.
 “Mere two transfers took place during the period….as about the holding of additional charge, this is a routine matter with our department,” the DIG told Greater Kashmir.
 Meanwhile, sources said Manhas would himself have been “directly looking after City affairs but that would lead to problem in coordination between various cadres.”

BOTTOMLINE
 While the inconvenience has become a routine for the common masses, at times VIPs too have to feel the heat.
 In June, the then CEO of JK Bank, Dr Haseeb Drabu was so irked by the traffic jam on the Airport Road, that he took lift from a biker and rode pillion to reach his corporate headquarters or he could have missed a crucial bank meeting.
 In the latest, past week, Director General of Police Kuldeep Khoda’s cavalcade was stuck in the City centre jam. Finally, commandoes jumped out of the cavalcade paving way for the VIP movement.
 Pertinently, the ruling National Conference led government had bagged all the eight constituency seats from Srinagar in the Assembly elections. But the 8/8 factor seems to have worked little for the City welfare.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 12 Nov 2010 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:00:00 IST