The Srinagar Smart City Limited in collaboration with the State Legal Services Authority Saturday organised a community engagement awareness programme for better traffic management in Srinagar city.
Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey was the chief guest of the programme where heads and senior officers of various departments were present. Other stakeholders and several NGOs also attended the workshop.
The aim of the workshop was to reach out to the general public of the district and stress the need for awareness of rules and laws for better traffic management in the capital city of Srinagar and the ways to achieve that. It was also to bring the public up to date with the recently amended traffic laws and consequences of violations thereof.
Various departments and entities were present on the occasion with senior officers and representatives of stakeholders sharing their ideas and opinions of how traffic in Srinagar city can be better managed to enable unobstructed and smooth movement thereof.
Speaking on the occasion Justice Magrey stressed the need for traffic awareness initiatives stating that public awareness in this regard is crucial to success of traffic management efforts of the administration in Srinagar.
He said smooth traffic movement and good management thereof benefit one and all adding that everyone is an equal stakeholder in the need to achieve it.
The Justice emphasised the crucial importance of role of general people both as individuals and as a community in traffic management and said that infrastructure while being an important requirement will yield results if everyone plays their part.
The workshop covered all aspects of issues surrounding traffic management confronting Srinagar city and solutions required for resolving them. Most speakers on the panel emphasised the need for an educated understanding of issues and taking a keen interest in resolving them through personal participation.
Director SKIMS A. G. Ahangar, Director Health Dr Samir Mattoo, Director School Education Kashmir Younis Malik, Director Disaster Management Aamir Ali, RTO Kashmir IkramullahTak, Chief Engineer PWD ShowkatJeelaniPandit, SSP Srinagar Haseeb Mughal, SSP Traffic JavaidKoul, Commissioner SMC Gazanfar Ali, Dean School of Law Kashmir University M. Ayub Dar, ADC Srinagar M. HaneefBalkhi among others were present on the occasion. Special Mobile Magistrate Traffic YahyaFirdous and District Mobile Magistrate Traffic Mir Wajahat were also present.
All HODs spoke on the occasion highlighting the critical importance of traffic management and following traffic rules. Three NGOs also attended the workshop.
The programme also included an extensive interactive session with members of public and other stakeholders in attendance during the programme.
The aim of the programme was to bring all stakeholders together in order to gather valuable inputs and ideas and build a consensus aimed at better traffic management.
Deputy Commissioner Srinagar DrShahidIqbalChoudhary who is also the CEO Srinagar Smart City Limited while speaking on the occasion highlighted the initiatives the district administration in collaboration with Srinagar Smart City Limited is taking to improve the traffic management scenario in Srinagar city.
He stressed the importance of coordination between concerned agencies and stakeholders. While speaking he informed the gathering about key initiatives of smart city like road redevelopment, intelligent traffic light system, signage and street furniture, drainage, underground ducting among others.
DrShahid said among a host of projects aimed at improving the traffic scenario in the district include pedestrian pathways project worth Rs 26 crore and junction improvement project worth Rs 12 crore adding that other projects like underground ducting are also under discussion or process.
CPO Srinagar Yaseen Lone who was also present on the occasion spoke about performance audit of roads the district administration has conducted in Srinagar aimed at bridging the infrastructural gaps required for better traffic management in Srinagar city.
Various transport unions, trade organisations, street vendors unions among also attended the traffic awareness programme.