Due to the ongoing construction work for Srinagar Smart City Projects, the authorities recently closed two highly important and busy roads - Residency Road and Mounlana Azad Road - in the heart of the city, for public transport. Officials said the roads would remain closed for few weeks.
Hundreds of passenger mini buses and sumos would ply daily on the two roads.
Their movement has come to a halt because of the directive. Important educational institutions including S P College, S P Higher Secondary School, Government Women’s College, and Kothibagh Girls Higher Secondary School besides some other schools are located on the Moulana Azad Road side or its vicinity or in the vicinity of Residency Road.
Thousands of students reach these institutions in passenger buses or sumos from their respective homes. In the afternoon when the colleges and schools get closed most of them catch the buses at Residency Road.
However, such a transport facility is not available presently due to the closure of the roads.
The people working in government and private offices in these areas face the same problem. So do others working in the shops and other business establishments there.
Officials say that the closure of the two important roads is a compulsion to complete the ongoing work. They have been appealing the people to have patience and cooperate for some weeks.
Non-availability of the public transport has caused lot of inconvenience to the students and other people. Some of them demanded running of e-autorickshaws on the closed roads. According to them they have to walk long distance to catch a bus or a sumo.
On their demand the authorities put the e-autorickshaw services available. The students have been demanding increase in the number of e-rickshaws saying the present number is insufficient.
They say that during peak hours when the colleges and schools get closed in the afternoon and thousands of students come out, the number of e-autorickshaws is insufficient to cater the huge rush.
A similar demand is also being made by those, associated with business sector. The authorities must look into this demand and provide more e-autorickshaws in the area.
If there are other alternative means of transport with which the students and other passengers get benefited, those too should be utilised.
The inconvenience caused needs to be further minimised, particularly as March is considered as a month of frequent rains.
