Public transport hit roads after day-long ‘chakka jam’ in Kashmir

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Srinagar, June 13: Public transport hit roads on Thursday after observing day-long ‘chaka-Jam’ in support of their demands in the Kashmir valley.

Passenger vehicles, including cabs, buses and mini buses, were seen plying since early this morning in the Kashmir valley, including summer capital, Srinagar.

Different transport bodies in all the three region of the state—Jammu, Ladakh and Kashmir—have called for a strike yesterday alleging that Regional Transport Officer (RTO) and Assistant RTO are not issuing fitness certificate to commercial vehicles and they are being forced to install Vehicle Tracking Device (VTD) and Panic Button (PB) in their vehicles.

The office bearers of transport bodies said that they were asked to install High Security Number Plats (HSNP) on their vehicles so that it (vehicle) could be traced immediately. However, they alleged that a number of trucks besides taxis were stolen without tracing them till date.

Meanwhile, Communist Party of India (M) senior leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, supporting the transporters’ demand, urged Governor administration to look into their genuine demands.

He said as transporters have suffered huge losses during the last three decades of militancy in the state, levying heavy toll tax and asking them to install hi-tech systems in their vehicles will put them under immense hardships. Installing hi-tech gadgets in each vehicle would cost thousands of rupees to the transporters which would further burden them, he said in a statement. 

Mr Tarigami said due to the online system there are lot of problems in permit and other document renewals of commercial vehicles. The long-pending demand of transporters, which included speedy renewals and document verification with transport department, must be fulfilled, he said.