Srinagar: Traders and locals have expressed resentment over lack of designated parking slots in Downtown.
Traders and inhabitants of various Downtown areas including Maharaj Gunj, Nowhatta, Aali Kadal, Bohri-Kadal, Rajouri Kadal, and Gojwara, said that lack of parking slots has severely affected their day-to-day life.
“Downtown is a historic place and cultural hub of Srinagar. However it place is without parking facilities. Absence of parking facilities affects locals and footfall of customers,” said Nazir Ahmad Shah, chairman Shaher-e-Khaas Traders Coordination Committee.
In absence of parking facilities, people are forced to park cars on roads resulting in traffic jams. “It is ironic that there is not a single designated parking slot in core business areas of Shaher-e-Khaas including Zaina Kadal, Maharaj Gunj and Bohri Kadal areas,” he said.
Shah said many years ago, authorities had identified a vacant plot at Zaina Kadal for parking. “However despite the passing of several years, there is no headway. There is a decrease in footfall of customers to Downtown markets in absence of parking facilities,” Shah added.
The locals said that encroachment of roads and footpaths by vendors also results in traffic jams. The traders and locals appealed to authorities to remove encroachment from roads in the area and create designated parking zones.
