Srinagar, Dec 26: Srinagar Municipal Corporation on Monday announced that the electronic traffic signals would be operational in the City by the time Durbar Move offices reopen in the coming summer adding that the modern abattoir at Rainawari was ready for operations and would be inaugurated soon.
 All this and much more including start of dog sterilization program, deepening of “war against polythene menace” and the proposed rehabilitation of registered street vendors, was disclosed by the SMC Commissioner, Sheikh Mushtaq while addressing a news conference  at his head office.
 He was flanked by senior officials including Joint Commissioner Fayaz Ahmed Bala  and Chief Sanitation Officer Manzoor Ahmed Turray.

ELECTRONIC SIGNALS
 The Commissioner said the government has already approved an initial amount of Rs 2.5 crore for the installation of electronic signal system in Srinagar adding that tenders have been floated afresh following “some hiccups” in the initial process.
 “The (re)tendering will be completed by January 13 and InshaAllah by the time Durbar reopens two of our corridors are expected to be equipped with electronic signals,” the Commissioner said.
 Giving details he said in the first phase electronic signals would be installed on two corridors: The Airport- Cheshma Shahi track via Jehgangir Chowk and Dalgate while  the other one would be between Athwajan and HMT Crossing on the Srinagar Muzaffarabad highway.
 “A total of 31 signal systems will be installed in the first phase,” he said.
 Work on these two corridors would be taken up on pilot basis while in the second phase the remaining portion of the City will be taken up.
 “In all we have to cover a 75 kilometre road network,” he added.
 Mushtaq said the government plans to make the system highly sophisticated adding that in future hi-tech cameras would be installed along the electronic signals so that a computerized system at the backend would automatically decide about signalling of diversions, if any.

WAR AGAINST POLYTHENE
 Claming that no less than 600 quintals of polythene have been seized by the civic body in the past few months, the Commissioner said a fine of Rs seven odd lakh have been also been recovered from the offenders.
 “We are now focusing on the middle men mafia between the shopkeepers, dealers and factories.”
 SMC’s head of Anti Polythene Wing, Manzoor Ahmed Turray said his squad has started concentrating to check the “middle man” nexus, which makes the polythene reach shops.
 “Apart from the raids at godowns, in the latest on Tuesday we caught red handed two scooterists and a cyclist ferrying polythene,” Turray told Greater Kashmir during sidelines of the news conference while showing the catch.

REHABILITATION OF STREET VENDORS
 The SMC Commissioner said the government was planning to get rid of the footpath encroachments through proper rehabilitation of registered vendors around 2500 of whom, he said, are registered with the corporation as Raida Walas.
 “The government will soon pass a bill to rehabilitate the registered footpath vendors on basis of zoning of areas like Partially Vending Zones, Vending Zones and No Vending Zones,” he said.

DOG MENACE
 Mushtaq said the dog sterilization program would start in January but remained tight lipped on the “elimination of rabid dogs.”
 To a question that why wasn’t the SMC eliminating rabid dogs who brutally attack humans, he said: “The case is before the Honourable High Court and so I cannot comment on this matter.”
 He said that it was on the directions of the High Court that the Dog Pound was coming up at Shuhama where the proposed sterilization is scheduled to start.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 26 Dec 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 27 Dec 2011 00:00:00 IST