Fed up with regular traffic jams slowing life down in the town, residents and businessmen in southern Kashmir’s Tral township of Pulwama are demanding establishment of a traffic control unit for the sub-district.
Residents and traders alike complain of frequent trafficjams around all road junctions in the town, particularly during peak hours,that badly affect students and employees too.
Shopkeepers bear the brunt of traffic snarls affecting theirbusiness.
“Every day it takes me almost an hour to travel from BusStand to Noorpora (6 Kms). Authorities must deploy few traffic policemen whocould regulate the vehicular movement on the main roads of Tral,” said ShabirAhmad, a commuter.
Residents say new private vehicles come on the roads in highnumbers every year but there is nobody to regulate them.
The usual traffic mess is evident at the Bus Stand area,main Sub District Hospital road and Aab Ghar Chowk.
At various places vehicles are parked along the roads andsometimes even in the middle, further slowing the traffic down and leaving noroom for ambulances or fire dousing vehicles to move during emergencies.
Police claim that spontaneous action is taken every dayagainst violators of traffic rules in the messy town.
A senior traffic police officer told Greater Kashmir thatthe department lacks manpower to create traffic units in every town of thestate.
“Based on need we can create one such unit in Tral butcurrently there is lack of manpower in the department,” the officer said.
Additional deputy commissioner Tral, Shabir Ahmad Raina saidthat he too has already asked for a traffic cell for Tral.
“Hopefully it will be provided soon,” Raina said.