Authorities fail to enforce traffic regulation orders in Baramulla

Baramulla, June 28: Two administrative orders issued by the officials of Baramulla district administration a few months back to ease the woes of common people have come under the spotlight, not for their efficacy, but for their blatant non-implementation.

The first order, issued by the Municipal Council of Baramulla, vide no MC/Bla/2024/67-71, dated 18-04-2024 was an attempt to reclaim the town’s roads from the encroachment of street vendors. Street vendors especially from Tehsil road to main chowk and from Sabzi market to the Govt Transport bridge cause obstruction for the pedestrian movement, besides leading to traffic jams.

The order mandated the relocation of all street vendors to designated areas at Tashkan Adda (Kokar Bazar) and the General Bus Stand. It sternly warned that any vendor found outside these zones would face a fine of Rs 2000. The directive, prompted by incessant complaints from residents, was aimed to ensure smoother pedestrian movement and alleviate traffic congestion.

However, despite the clear directions, the roads of Baramulla town remain filled with vendors. The application of the order was supposed to streamline traffic movement and relieve people from the inconvenience while walking on the road.

However, like previous attempts, this order seems to have remained on paper, with no visible enforcement on the ground. Adding to the chaos is the second, equally ignored order, issued by the Baramulla district magistrate. This order declared the road stretch from the National Highway crossing to the Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla as a “no parking zone” under Section 122 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

The directive was a response to numerous complaints highlighting how illegal parking and the presence of street vendors on this crucial road stretch obstructed the movement of ambulances and other vehicles carrying patients.

The order called for the Station House Officer (SHO) of Baramulla to enforce the no-parking rule, supported by a joint effort from the Tehsildar and the Executive Officer of the Municipal Council during morning hours.

However, despite the passing of a few months, the situation remains unchanged. The approach road to GMC Baramulla is still clogged with haphazardly parked vehicles and vendors with the result smooth entry of vehicles carrying patients and ambulances to the hospital causes immense hardships.

Muhammad Ashraf, while showing his surprise over the delay in implementing the order, said that both these orders would have not only set key roads of the town free from encroachers but would have also led to smooth entry of patients and ambulances to the GMC Baramulla. “The orders are undoubtedly for the betterment of town residents. However, it needs dedication and commitment of the authorities to implement these orders which as of now seems missing,” said Ashraf.

Ashraf while expressing his concern over the deteriorating traffic order in the town said that already common people are struggling with the traffic mess in the town and now in addition, the authorities have added too many e-autos.

He said these e-autos have no permanent space to operate with the result they occupy every empty space available especially on main roads adding further to the traffic mess. “Already roads are overwhelmed with the sumo vehicles as they too operate without a permanent stand. Now with one more addition of e-autos the overall traffic scenario remains in a mess,” added Ashraf.

Both orders, while well-intentioned, have failed to bring about any real change. The lack of enforcement has left residents and patients in a lurch, dealing with the same inconveniences and hazards as they would earlier.