National Conference decries civilian traffic restrictions on highway

National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah Sunday said it was the “height of incompetence and laziness” that the Governor S P Malik-led administration required restriction on movement of civilian vehicles on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway for the security of Amarnath pilgrims.

Abdullah, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir,said the governor’s administration was the only administration in 30 years thathas required the closure of the highway.

   

“It’s not that we are unconcerned about yatri security,far from it. It’s that the administration of Governor Malik is the onlyadministration in 30 years that has required the closure of the highway/railwayline to protect yatris& that’s the height of incompetence &laziness,” he tweeted.

Abdullah was responding to Malik’s remarks that the peopleof Kashmir should bear such restrictions as it was a matter of security ofpilgrims.

Reacting to the restriction, NC leaders HasnainMasoodi andAkbar Lone decried the restriction, saying that the “diktat” will putthe public to undue duress.

“The diktat will hamper the economic activity oftraders. The highway is no less than an artery, it is our life line. It is notjust the economic activity that will suffer with the ban but patients too. Howcan they reach hospitals? How can students and working class move to andfro?” Masoodi, the MP from Anantnag, said.

Meanwhile, Lone, the MP from Baramulla, said the move willinadvertently hit the movement of civilian traffic on the highway.

“The sole National Highway connecting Srinagar with therest of country already suffers from intermittent blockages due to the vagariesof weather. The diktat of putting restrictions on the vehicular movement ifpersists will put the public to undue duress.”The step is bound to hamper the easymovement of tourist inflow to Kashmir. Moreover, the diktat will affect thetraders by spoiling Kashmir bound perishable items and vice versa,” Lonesaid.

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