Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 14: DIG Traffic, Shridhar Patil, accompanied by other senior police officials, today visited the Chamber House here and discussed with the Chamber team the challenges faced by the transporters, traders and industrialists.
The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) team expressed gratitude to DIG Traffic for his time and requested measures to streamline the unloading and transportation process.
A press statement said that currently, trucks unloading in Srinagar face delays due to the condition of the highway and bottlenecks along the way. After unloading, the trucks halt at Mir Bazar for a day and then at Bonigaum, resulting in a delay of 8 to 10 days to cover a distance of 20-25 km from Mir Bazar to Qazikund. Landslides and inclement weather further contribute to the timeline, adding another 2-3 days of delay.
Additionally, the piling up of trucks at certain barriers is due to local trucks with specific registration digits and drivers bypassing the queues and proceeding from the wrong side and lateral/feeder roads to the new tunnel. This leads to longer queues at the barriers while these local trucks gain preferential access to the tunnel, causing congestion.
To address the situation partially, it was suggested that only empty trucks of specific categories be permitted to take a detour from Shopian via the Mughal Road to Jammu. This arrangement was allowed in the past but is no longer permitted.
Arun Gupta, President, JCCI, requested the Transport Department not to penalize and disturb pilgrims and tourists during the upcoming Amarnath Yatra, and to avoid penalizing those who provide facilities such as eating facilities to the pilgrims.
Regarding the flyover construction from Canal Road to Muthi, the businessmen in the Canal Road area expressed concerns about customers’ vehicles being penalized for parking outside their shops.
In response, Shridhar Patil assured that the issues regarding the movement of commercial vehicles between Jammu and Srinagar will be resolved within 2-3 days. He also committed to addressing the issues related to the Amarnath Yatra and Canal Road parking after discussing them with the relevant officers.
Meanwhile, Arun Gupta praised the remarkable work of KK Gandhi, a member and renowned artist, who received a bronze dove as a symbol of peace during his artist residency in Hallein, Austria.
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