MEETINGS after meetings are held to streamline the vehicular traffic in this summer Capital, but the results remain seemingly confined to papers alone as the mess on the City roads continues to swell with each passing day.
 From civil administration to police officials, almost all in the top brass including ministers continue to chair meetings to give directions, which hardly realize.

THE RECENT MEETINGS
 Barely a few days ago, Divisional Commissioner, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon chaired a meeting on traffic streamlining in Srinagar directing the Traffic Police to ensure smooth flow of traffic while the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and the City police were directed to get the footpath vendors relocated from the City centre and adjoining Batmaloo.
 A few days prior to that Deputy Inspector General of Police( Traffic) Vijay Kumar held a meeting with the public transporters running minibuses, directing them not to resort to frequent stops or alleged snail’s pace.
 Sometime before that the SP Traffic Srinagar, Haseeb Ur Rehman held a meeting to ensure that no roadside parking takes place in the City centre areas between the Poloview and Batamloo and even issued orders in this regard.
 Somewhere in between, the District Development Commissioner Baseer Ahmed Khan directed the shopkeepers to refrain from showcasing goods on pavements.

THE RESOLUTION
 All these high level meetings held in the past around a month aimed at the streamlining of traffic ahead of the reopening of Durbar move offices in Srinagar in May.
 But if the ground reality is to be believed, things are turning from bad to worst. While the mini-buses continue to ply at allegedly snail’s pace, there’s hardly any improvement in the removal of footpath vendors, or not allowing roadside parking.

CUSTOMARY MEETS
 Holding such meetings seems to be customary for the official machinery. Last year, in April similar meetings were held ahead of the Durbar move. That time, the Divisional Commissioner, accompanied by other senior officials including Inspector General of Traffic Police, Hemant Kumar Lohia toured the City to look for measures to improve traffic regulation.
 The SMC was directed to remove all roadside encroachments including footpath vendors and other bottlenecks within a month. But over a year on the problem persists.
 Some three months back during a meeting on Traffic streamlining, a senior police official had reportedly told the Divisional Commissioner that relocation of footpath vendors could create troubles including political interference.
 But till now, the government couldn’t find a solution to the problem and claims to streamline traffic didn’t move beyond minutes of the meetings.

THE NEED 
 Experts said given the dearth of Traffic police personnel in the City, there’s an urgent need to increase their number by around three fold. This is because for now mere 200 odd men in blue man the entire City traffic which traverses some 2000 square kilometers of road network.
 Besides, the minibus routes need to be revamped. For now the diversion of north City bound vehicles through south City areas like Maharaja Bazar, Hazuri Bagh and Raj Bagh looks a mockery as commuters remain stuck in jams for hours.
 Besides, experts said, there was a need to check the movement of stray taxis, and tourist vehicles pouring into the City.
 The SMC with the assistance of local police needs to keep a check on footpath vending particularly along the Dalgate-Batamaloo and Poloview Jehangir Chowk track.

BOTTOMLINE
The City is witnessing worst of the Traffic jams at a time when all the eight MLAs belong to the ruling National Conference, the party which holds key ministries related to the traffic regulation.
 The Home and the Roads and Building ministries are held by the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah himself while MLA Amira Kadal Nasri Sogami is the MOS for the Home. Besides, Sogami holds some key charges like that of MOS Housing and Urban Development. His  constituency, however, is among the worst hit areas.
 Till now, though over half the tenure of the National Conference led government is over, City is yet to reap the benefits, which could primarily give respite from the traffic mess.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 15 Apr 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 16 Apr 2012 00:00:00 IST