Much-needed breathing space

The old city area has got a first-ever space for the general public under the much-hyped Smart City project in Jammu and Kashmir as the government has thrown open the exclusively pedestrian bridge in the Old City area of Habba Kadal here. The project has come up at Rs 1.80 crore and has been redesigned within the period of five months. The bridge was inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Tuesday. Being a congested area, the old city is in dire need of such breathing spaces for the general public as these places would serve as an alternative to the people to spend some time in the evening after a hectic day-long work. These places are the need of the hour in the Old city areas as the public has been deprived of such facilities for the past several decades. However, as the exclusively pedestrian bridge has been dedicated to the general public in Habba Kadal area here, there is a need to make sure that such a spot is not allowed to turn into a major hub of drug addicts given the present scenario in the downtown areas in mind. The locals as well as the government needs to join their hands at this juncture to ensure that the space is not turned into a nuisance in any manner, which would help in increasing the rush of people in the nearby markets and giving a further push to the local trade in the locality.