Problem of trucks
Thousands of truckers have recently agitated against in the treatment being given to them by the traffic authorities and they have said that they will not ply on this highway in such conditions. While the trucks remained parked for days together, it has resulted in huge losses to the traders in Kashmir and the freight charges of the trucks have also gone up. The trucks remained on the highway stranded for several days and they have charged that money to the traders which in turn have made the markets in Kashmir virtually burn with high prices of all essential commodities.
The truckers have leveled serious allegations of corruption against traffic authorities and said that they were being virtually fleeced by them and were stonewalling their efforts to move on the highway. The truckers said that traffic authorities were deliberately parking their vehicles in the Ramban-Udhampur stretch and not allowing them to proceed to their destinations in Kashmir and Ladakh regions. Governor’s administrations has taken strong note of all the allegations and have directed the authorities to streamline line the process and allow the trucks loaded with essential commodities to proceed to Srinagar without any hindrance.
The administration has said that Traffic Police would give preference to the trucks carrying perishable items, livestock, food-grains and petroleum products, macadamization of the roads would be expedited and patch work to be completed in ten days, mobile network provider Jio to provide network connectivity on Mughal Road by installing towers at identified places, combined teams of Army, Police & SDRF to be placed at critical points, wayside amenities to be created on Mughal Road by Tourism department including temporary toilets, food points, vehicle repair points, overloaded not to be allowed on both the roads. All the concerned departments and agencies were directed to implement these decisions on ground and put in their coordinated efforts in making NH and Mughal Road traffic worthy for the maximum time.
