About 1.82 lakh vehicles ply on Kashmir roads every day

Srinagar, Jan 8 (UNI) Kashmir has witnessed a phenomenal rise in the number of vehicles in the recent past, leading to increased traffic congestion, pollution and road accidents in the Valley.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Traffic Abdul Hamid Bhat said about 1.82 lakh vehicles ply on various routes in Kashmir every day.

Of the 1.82 lakh vehicles in the Valley, about 1.25 lakh ply on Srinagar roads alone.

During the current financial year so far, he said about 8000 vehicle owners were booked for various offences and Rs 1.40 crore seized as fine from them for violations of the Motor Vehicles Act.

According to officials, as many as 221 people were killed in 2006 while about 1709 road accidents had been recorded during the period.

Violations of the speed limit and non-compliance of rules have been causing many road accidents, they added.

The officials said the significant increase in the number of vehicles over the years has resulted in frequent traffic snarls in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir and other main towns and district headquarters of the Valley.

While chaos reigns supreme on Srinagar roads during summer when the Civil Secretariat and other departments function here, for the first no decline in congestion was witnessed even in six winter months when the government offices shift to Jammu as part of the biannual 'Darbar' Move.

The officials said the rise in the number of vehicles in the recent past was due to easy installment schemes and low interest rates on loans extended by banks and other financial institutions.

''There is a rat race among the banks and other financial institutions to lure customers in taking car loans. As a result, everybody wants to buy a vehicle which is mainly seen a status symbol,'' they added.

The officials said the increase in vehicles has resulted in the significant rise in air pollution in the Srinagar city and other parts of the Kashmir valley. Indiscriminate use of horns has also added to the noise pollution, they added.

The Traffic Department had organised a road safety week from January one. A number of functions, including auto rickshaw-Tata sumo rallies, cycle race, road shows and seminars marked the conclusion of the week here yesterday.

Traffic personnel also conducted a road show in Lal Chowk and its surrounding areas with the music band enthralling the passers-by.

During the week, people were impressed upon to abide by traffic rules to minimise road accidents. The drivers were called upon not to indulge in rash and reckless driving, avoid use of talking on mobile phones, wrong parking and playing of music systems besides using dipper at night.

Similarly, pedestrians were urged to use zebra crossings and footpaths to avoid occurrence of accidents.

Emphasis was also laid on curbing the menace of overloading in passenger vehicles. The motorcyclists were advised to use helmets while driving their motor cycles.

UNI