Obsolete mini buses: With no proper seating arrangements, it is a real nightmare to commute into obsolete buses in Srinagar. In 2020, during a guest lecture by a transport engineer in Bengaluru, I learned how this junk journey can prove fatal.
The discomfort is beyond words. The overall mobility in our city is slow. To weed out the diseased vehicles from Srinagar roads, policymakers have done little on the ground.
What about the high court directive about the worn-out vehicles plying on Srinagar roads, to be replaced under section 83 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and rule 96 of the State Motor Vehicles Rule, 1991! To purchase new vehicles, the government must offer at least a 40% subsidy on humanitarian grounds to strengthen public transport.
An action plan must be framed to make the buses accessible to specially-abled persons. Unfit for traveling as per the latest Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) framework, their permits must be discarded with immediate effect. Ever wondered how does the government respond when they show their “Pollution Status Certificate?” To revamp the public transport apparatus is a defining challenge for the LG admin.