GK CITY CORRESPONDENT
Srinagar, Sep 2: At a time when traffic congestion in Srinagar has become a major inconvenience for Aam Aadmi, the administration furthers the mess by formally allowing holding of political rallies in the heart of the City.
 Notwithstanding the traffic mess which emerges due to holding of the rallies, mostly by mainstream parties at places like Polo Ground, SK Cricket Stadium, SK Park and Sri Pratap Park; the district administration has often been giving permissions for assemblage of thousands of party workers who drive from various parts of Kashmir. 

AT COST OF PUBLIC INCONVENIENCE
 Ironically even though the mainstream parties claim to be working to benefit the people, it’s the Aam Aadmi who suffers most because of their rallies.
 And its not the City centre area between Dalgate and Batamaloo alone which faces the worst of the traffic jams, but almost all roads leading to Srinagar end up in a soup as huge number of vehicles ferrying party activist keep traversing the roads.

MESS EVERYWHERE
 Entry into City literally turns messy from all sides. If congestion at Pantha Chowk is furthered by party vehicles coming, and going to south Kashmir areas like Anantnag and Pulwama, same is the plight at the Shalteng bottleneck portion of the highway to north Kashmir. And this flow of thousands of vehicles finally pushes into the City centre. 

PLAYFIELDS DAMAGED
 The parking of vehicles at places like historic Polo Ground playfield damages the turf and it takes months to get it repaired again.
 “Our playfields have often fallen prey to the holding of these political rallies. Even though we many times approached the authorities not to allow victimization of sports activities in the name of so called political rallies, our appeals were thrown into dustbin,” lambasted Fayaz Ahmed Sofi, a senior member of Jammu and Kashmir Football Association.

GARDENS MAULED
 The lawns of picturesque spots like the SK Park near Poloview are often damaged when, as per witnesses, hundreds of political activists assemble there.
  Interestingly both the ruling National Conference and opposition Peoples Democratic Party have been holding rallies at these parks without seemingly having a heart of the inconvenience of sorts its causes. Similar, as per observers, is the case of other parties like Congress and CPI(M).

AAM AADMI AGHAST
 People whose considerable time goes waste in traffic jams on rally days are all fire.
 “The reality of these political parties is exposed by their selfish nature of putting Aam Aadmi to trouble for the mere show of so called power in the heart of the City,” said a Kashmir University teacher.
 Some lawyers even questioned grant of permission for holding of such rallies.
 “It’s commonsense that these political road shows attract more of traffic congestion. So granting permission for such an event needs to be seen in the backdrop of fundamental rights. If it (rally) hampers the routine life of people, it becomes infringement into the fundamental right to freedom of movement,” said Advocate Mir Syed Lateef  a prominent lawyer adding that the holding of rallies at the cost of public inconvenience could be challenged in the Court of law.

‘POLITICS RULES’
  Observers said the administration at times becomes “helpless before politicians who pressurize them in the decision making.”
 “I have myself seen how politicians prevail over officials for personal or party gains. And one becomes helpless in granting permissions,” alleged a retired bureaucrat requesting not to be named. (To be concluded)

THE FALLOUTS
People including office goers and students reach destinations late
Marketplace business gets affected due to gridlocks enroute 
Heritage parks get spoiled
Playfields gets damaged

Lastupdate on : Fri, 2 Sep 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 2 Sep 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 3 Sep 2011 00:00:00 IST