Speeding tippers pose risk to commuters in Srinagar

Srinagar, Sep 14: The movement of tippers at high speed during evening and night hours is posing a risk to commuters in various areas of the city.

The commuters said that these tippers are plying without number plates to hide their identity in case of accidents or mishaps.

Many commuters, especially those traveling during the night said that overspeeding tippers have become a major risk in Srinagar. They said unless authorities take strict action, things won’t change on the ground.

“Many of these tippers don’t have registration number plates. How are they allowed to operate?,” asked Shahid Ahmad, a commuter.

Many commuters alleged that these tipper operators are using tactics to hide the number plates so that they can escape accountability.

“I usually come from the office late in the evening and many tipper operators hide their number plates. Sometimes they do it by hiding the number plate with mud. Surprisingly some of them have deployed mechanism to flip the number plate. Earlier it was only done by bikers but now these heavy vehicle operators are also doing it,” said another commuter.

Recently many videos surfaced on social media where commuters recorded these issues. In some videos commuters and pedestrians were seen recoding tippers and other heavy vehicles without number plates.

As per the data from traffic police, pedestrian deaths in Srinagar constituted over 48 percent of total road accident deaths in 2023. Many pedestrians have fallen prey to accidents by speeding tippers and trucks over the years.

Last year, a Traffic cop among two was killed in a Srinagar road accident after a speeding truck hit them. Earlier this year, another tipper plunged into Dal Lake when it lost control. The incident led to the death of the driver.

Commuters demanded setting up of check points in city areas to nab the tippers drivers who violate traffic laws.

SSP Traffic Police Srinagar Muzaffar Ahmad Shah said that they are carrying out special drives to tackle all the issues including speeding tippers and registration number less tippers.

“As far as the issue of operating without number plates or hiding it by any means is concerned, strict action will be taken. We will continue to carry out special drives to ensure that all vehicle operators including tipper operators don’t break any rules,” he said.