Should Shopian sacrifice parks for traffic relief?

Shopian, Dec 15: In the narrow lanes of south Kashmir’s apple-rich Shopian town, a debate is unfolding over the proposal of converting a park into a parking facility.

The district administration’s proposal to convert a park, housing an open-air gym near Municipal Council Shopian, into a parking space to do away with the perennial traffic snarls has sparked the debate.

A large section of society believes that squeezing green spaces to pave the way for parking slots is an unwise move as a human society can’t afford to choose conveniences over community well-being.

Some residents, on the other hand, argue in favour of the conversion, pointing out that some commuters usually pull off the road, causing pesky hold-ups.

For them, a spacious parking space in the heart of the town fits the bill.

Last year, Municipal Council Shopian (MCS) proposed and prepared through R&B a Rs 5 crore DPR to construct a parking facility in the park.

However, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Shopian Muhammad Shahid Saleem Dar told Greater Kashmir that it was a Rs 20 crore project that would change the traffic scenario in the town.

Amidst the raging debate, the DC said that the space had been used as a parking lot since 2010.

“It is a parking space which is being converted into a multi-storied parking facility,” he said.

However, in 2021, MCS authorities vide No MC/SPN/2021/26 of 2021 dated July 8, 2021, granted administrative approval for the development of the same space for earth filling and floral activities for Rs 8.37 lakh.

The order succinctly identifies the space as ‘Town Hall Park’.

“This has always been a park,” a resident said.

A few days ago, members of a local Auqaf Committee along with a knot of concerned residents wrote a letter to the DC, opposing the conversion of the space into a parking facility.

In their detailed representation, they not only underlined the significance of the green spaces but also highlighted its detrimental effects on the environment.

Advocate Habeel Iqbal, a Shopian-based prominent lawyer, billed the administrative move as the violation of fundamental principles enshrined in law.

“Article 21 of the Indian constitution guarantees the right to life, which includes the right to a healthy environment and the opportunity for children to play and grow in safe, green spaces in particular and against the health of the society in general,” Iqbal said.

He said that the decision was utter disregard for urban planning principles and sustainable development goals.

Saqib Ahmad, a resident, on the other hand, stressed the urgent need for the creation of parking spaces.

The question, however, remains whether green spaces should be sacrificed for parking spaces.