Lack of parking facilities pester commuters in Downtown

Srinagar, Aug 22: Failure of authorities to provide parking facilities in Downtown areas is taking a heavy toll on commuters.

Due to lack of parking facilities has severely affected business of traders in the city’s old commercial hub. Locals, traders, and commuters in Downtown areas like Maharaj Gunj, Nowhatta, Aali Kadal, Bohri-Kadal, Rajouri Kadal, and Gojwara, the lack of parking facilities is causing immense inconvenience to them.

“Parking facility is an important aspect of any city infrastructure. Despite the rich history and heritage of Downtown, we are lacking basic facilities like parking. The commuters are finding it hard to park their vehicle amid the absence of parking zones. This compels commuters to park vehicles on roadsides which causes massive traffic jams,” said Asif Rasool, a commuter.

The locals said that Srinagar Smart City authorities have invested massively in Downtown, “but are yet to create any major parking space in the area.”

The locals said that Downtown witnesses a huge flow of vehicles, and commuters often face problems finding parking spaces. “This issue triggers fights and arguments between commuters, shopkeepers, and other vehicle owners,” they said.

Ayaz Zehgeer, chief organiser of Beopar Mandal Maharaj Gunj, said the issue has badly affected the trade.

“Shoppers are now avoiding Downtown due to lack of parking facilities. This has directly impacted our trade and inflicted losses on us. Shoppers are always in fear of getting stuck in traffic jams and not being able to find parking spaces. Despite several Smart City projects, Downtown parking issue is yet to be addressed,” Zehgeer said

A senior official from Srinagar Smart City Ltd said that they had identified a few spots to develop parking spaces, but due to some issues, the plans did not materialise.

“We are continuously trying to find ways to create parking spaces in Downtown. We had even initiated the process at a few places, but due to some issues, the plan did not materialise. We are still planning to identify other places in Downtown that can be turned into parking zones,” said the official.