SRINAGAR: Hitting out at the government for its alleged inability and inaction to regulate the chaotic traffic and repair the broken roads in Kashmir, Private Schools Association of Jammu and Kashmir (PSAJK) said that due to this lakhs of school going children are suffering in the valley every day.
The PSAJK said that the commuting has become a nightmare for school going children due to the traffic chaos on the roads. Ever since the schools have opened, we are grappling with a huge issue of traffic problems. On one hand, almost all roads are littered with potholes and there is gross mismanagement of traffic.
Nobody is following traffic rules with the result traffic jams are increasing with every passing day, PSAJK chairman G N Var said. He said a school bus which used to reach school in half an hour now takes more than an hour. Till that time children have to suffer on roads, he alleged.
MR Var said that the condition of roads is going from bad to worse and with a rise in temperature, dust is blowing on roads with growing intensity. There is so much of pollution first from rising in the number of vehicles, many of those have no pollution checks.
"Secondly, there is so much of dust on roads. Leave aside children even adults are developing breathing problems and infections," he said, adding besides the academic work, even health of children is in danger.
"There is no regulation of traffic by the concerned departments, with the result road rage, illegal parking, overtaking and other violations have become a norm," Mr Var said.
"The restriction on traffic due to convoys has compounded the problems. They have said school buses are allowed but when the front traffic is closed, school buses are also automatically stuck too," he added.
The Association urged the government to take emergency measures to regulate traffic in Kashmir, or else according to them 'every sector of the society and economy will be badly impacted'.
"Public transport and good roads is the basic right of a citizen, unfortunately, the government is not able to even provide this to the general public. We just need better public transport, good roads and traffic management and government with its huge men and machinery can easily do it if it has a will," he alleged.