SrinagarEven though traffic jams are quite common in Srinagar, the business hub Lal Chowk and its adjacent areas Thursday witnessed an acute gridlock as shoppers thronged the markets ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.
The commuters remained stuck for hours in the massive gridlock, which was witnessed in several city areas including Habba Kadal, Fateh Kadal, Nowhatta, Rainawari, Regal Chowk, Hari Singh High Street, Mahraja Bazar, Sarai Bala and others.
Hundreds of vehicles were seen stranded on the roads while the traffic cops were seen regulating the traffic.
Commuters said that street vendors who are occupying the roads are one among the main reasons behind the traffic mess here. The government had earlier claimed to have vacated the vendors from the roads but the street vendors continue to occupy the roadsides here thereby leaving the commuters to lurch at large, they said.
They said that the people are out to buy the essentials including the food stuff and the clothes for the EID and the government must have taken steps to ensure free and smooth movement for the commuters as well as the shoppers.
The commuters alleged that the most of the traffic signals remain defunct while the rest of the signals were put on blinker mode to ensure the free and smooth vehicular movement of the VIPs, which is also creating the frequent traffic mess here.
It took me almost half an hour today to reach Jahangir Chowk from Dalgate in my car, a commuter said.
Meanwhile, several volunteers including boys and girls were seen regulating the traffic in the busy Lal Chowk.
The volunteers said that they opted to assist the traffic cops to ensure smooth and hassle free movement of commuters ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.
They said that the Srinagar areas especially the commercial hub is flooded with the shoppers, which is adding miseries to the commuters thereby they preferred to regulate the traffic for the wellbeing of the people here.
Citing illegal car parking on the roadsides as the reason, the traffic officials said that a number of commuters have so far been challaned in Srinagar city especially in the business Hub Lal Chowk who had parked their vehicles illegally on the roadsides.
The commuters usually park their cars illegally on the roadsides, which result in the traffic mess. The norm violators are being challaned with each passing day. We are putting every effort to streamline the traffic, the officials said.
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