GK NEWS NETWORK
Srinagar, May 17: Frequent traffic jams in the tourist hub Boulevard here has become a source of inconvenience for the tourists and the locals.
 With unregulated flow of vehicles including the tourist buses and tippers, the vital road is marred with long traffic jams particularly in the evenings. The pedestrians also have to face a tough time as the footpath facing the Dal lake is occupied by the street vendors.
 “The traffic department has failed to regulate the traffic on Boulevard. During evenings, there is not a single traffic cop to man the traffic here. As a result, the tourists and locals get stranded in traffic jams for hours together, said Pervez Ahmad a local.
 The locals said the absence of adequate parking slots in the area was also contributing to the traffic jams. “Parking of the vehicles on the main road and a lane leading to Buchwara also results in traffic jams. We fail to understand why the Government is reluctant to acquire vacant plots of land on Boulevard for parking purposes. Boulevard is famous world over and the traffic jams doesn’t augur well with its image,” they said.
 The locals suggest that the tourist buses and tippers should not be allowed to use the Boulevard route to ensure smooth flow of traffic. “The road from Dalgate to Nehru Park is too narrow to accommodate the big tourist buses. Only light motor vehicle should be allowed to ply through Boulevard till the road is widened to cater to the heavy traffic load,” they said.
 The SP Traffic City Maqsood-ul-Zaman said the traffic cops man the traffic on Boulevard till 9 pm. “After that the local police are on the duty,” the SP said.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 17 May 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 17 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 18 May 2011 00:00:00 IST