City to have robust, reliable public transport system: DC Srinagar

Srinagar, May 16: With the city facing a dearth of the public transport system, authorities are going to introduce a new lot of mini-buses and auto rickshaws on “hungry routes”, the trial of which has already been conducted, officials said on Tuesday.
Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, who is also the chairman of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), said they have already conducted a trial run of all the routes that are to be introduced soon.
“There were many hungry routes in Srinagar, and a survey was conducted for them, and in a recent RTA meeting, it was decided that a new lot of mini-buses and autos will be introduced in the city,” the DC said while talking to the media persons on the sidelines of the opening of a reading facility in the Magarmal Bagh area here.
He said that following the survey, they have found around 12-13 “hungry routes” in Srinagar city, on which they are going to start the minibus service soon. “We have already conducted a trial of the services on the new routes. The frequent complaints from passengers will be addressed,” he said.
The DC said that the public transport system in Srinagar is getting better now. Earlier, the transport system was not “organized and robust” which had caused the increase of private vehicles on the roads.
“In Srinagar city, we have a carrying capacity of around 3 lakh two-wheelers and four-wheelers, while on a daily basis; we have around 5 lakh vehicles plying on roads. Very soon, we are going to have a robust and reliable public transport system in place,” he said.
People from many parts of Srinagar have been complaining about the non-availability of public transport services on their routes, while many areas demand e-rickshaw services.