Passengers rue lack of evening transport facilities in Srinagar

Srinagar, Feb 19: Lack of evening transport facilities in the summer capital is causing immense inconvenience to people.

Passengers from different areas of Srinagar are decrying non-availability of public transport during evening hours. The passengers said that after sunset, they face immense problems due to the non-availability of public transport in city areas. The problem is compounded due to the lack of cabs in the evenings. 

The passengers said that the problem is most prevalent on the routes of Hazratbal outskirts, Harwan areas, and uptown Srinagar.

This affects office goers, students, women, and elderly. The cab service yards that operate at Exchange Road Lal Chowk and Maisuma are mostly deserted in the evenings. The cab service of the Harwan route is also non-available after sunset. “We have taken up the issue with cab operators several times but they do not care about rules and regulations,” Abdul Hamid, a passenger said.

The passengers who board cabs from Exchange Road Cab Yard and Maisuma to Hazratbal areas of Chatrahama and Danihama said that the cab operators do not follow any timing.

Greater Kashmir received many complaints from various areas of the city about the public transport issue. The passenger said unless authorities enforce timing for the passenger transport to follow, things would not improve.

An official from J&K Road Transport Corporation said that the corporation started buses on various routes of Srinagar to address the issue. He said few buses ply on the Hazratbal outskirts also. However, he said unless all non-government bus operators and cabs operate on time, the issue won’t be resolved.

The passengers said that they want more RTC buses to be available on different routes, especially in the evening. Greater Kashmir