Shift street vendors to designated places

While Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, is rapidly turning into the Smart City with new roads and other projects, some of the areas continue to remain under the illegal occupation of the street vendors, where less space remains for vehicular movement, thereby pushing the commuters to the wall. One fails to understand why the hefty amount is being spent when the major portion of the roads have to remain under the illegal occupation of the street vendors. It has been observed that the street vendors occupy a major chunk of the roadsides in the business hub Srinagar and other City areas, but unfortunately nobody seems bothered to take action against them for their illegal occupation of the roadsides, despite being provided the specific area for running their businesses to earn the bread and butter for their families. It seems the concerned authorities are least bothered about the utilization of the hefty sum on the construction of the footpaths on different designs and patterns as the street vendors are not being removed from the roadsides to ensure a better and smooth vehicular and pedestrian movement on the roads. One cannot blame the congested roads for the regular traffic congestion in Srinagar, but there are several other reasons including the continuous occupation of the roadsides by the street vendors, which leave the common masses to lurch at large. In order to bring respite to the commuters and pedestrians, the Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL) should take concrete measures in this regard and ensure that the street vendors are removed and shifted to the designated places, allotted to them years ago.