Haphazard parking of vehicles on narrow roads in absence of designated parking bays in Shopian town is triggering frequent jams in this south Kashmir district.
The problem aggravates as heavy vehicles flout the rules and enter the town during no-entry hours.
Aijaz Ahmad, a local resident told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that vendors and shopkeepers are putting their goods and cars on roads and hence narrowing space for vehicular traffic. Many commuters said it takes them hours to cover a distance of a few kilometers.
A group of employees said the persistent traffic jams have put their jobs at stake as they fail to reach their respective destinations in time.
Locals said that this issue was brought into the notice of concerned officials several times but nothing changed on the ground.
Meanwhile, an official of the district administration said that the Municipal Committee Shopian has identified a space for vendors and it will be allocated to them soon to ease the congestion on roads.
He said that with the construction of a new highway, all heavy vehicles will be diverted through that route and the administration is going to act tough against encroachers—(KNO)