Multiplicity of agencies causing traffic snarls in JK: Drabu

Jammu and Kashmir Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu today blamed multiplicity of agencies as one of the causes for traffic mismanagement and called for a comprehensive policy to address the problem in the state.
"We need to formulate a comprehensive policy to manage traffic problems in urban and rural areas of the state. Multiplicity of agencies involved in management of transport sector is one of the causes of traffic mismanagement," Drabu said while addressing the inaugural session of a seminar on "Traffic Management" at SKICC here.
The seminar was organised by Institute of Studies, Learning and Analysis (ISLA), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) promoted by state police, to discuss and deliberate on the upsurge in the vehicular traffic and chalk out a strategy to deal with the challenge of frequent traffic snarls especially in the capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu.

Drabu said the two major factors responsible for the traffic mess are huge traffic interaction from rural areas with the cities and multiplicity of agencies responsible for management of transport infrastructure in the state.
To cope with these issues, the minister stressed the need for developing adequate infrastructure in key sectors like education and health in the rural areas so that people from the countryside do not have to visit the urban centres for such facilities.
"This will go a long way in minimising the traffic interaction from rural areas with the city centres," he said.

To deal with the issue of traffic congestion in the urban centres, Drabu said a comprehensive policy needs to be formulated so that the role of multiple agencies in transport sector is done away.

"The multiplicity of agencies has led to ineffective transport management in the state," he said.
Member Parliament and ruling PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said the uncontrolled growth in vehicular population was leading to traffic congestion on roads, besides increasing environmental pollution.