Bijbehara: Shopkeepers here in Bijbehara town have crammed the already congested Goriwan-Zirapara road, which leads to the Sub-District Hospital (SDH), with their merchandise and signboards, hampering the movement of traffic and access to the hospital.
The administration has so far failed to take any action against these shopkeepers who have created a mess on this vital road which joins the old national highway.
This 1-km stretch passing through the main market of Bijbehara town is the main approach road for hundreds of people travelling from Dachnipora area to SDH Bijbehara for medical emergency or treatment.
People often find themselves stuck in heavy traffic as most of the road is almost always occupied by shopkeepers, who keep their merchandise and signboards on the road.
“Not only that, you can see how dozens of hawkers also line up on both sides of this busy road and don’t move an inch while the traffic slows to a halt,” said Ghulam Qadir, a local resident.
Many people also park their cars haphazardly along the road, adding to the traffic mess. “And the irony is, if you object to any such thing, people are always ready to argue and even fight,” Qadir added.
The gravity of the situation was recently brought to the fore after a toddler, who had swallowed a bean, lost his life after the vehicle carrying him to the hospital remained stuck in a traffic jam on the Anantnag-Verinag road.
“Is the administration here waiting for such an unfortunate incident so that they can wake up and take action against these violators, be it the shopkeepers or the people parking their vehicles carelessly along the road?” a group of residents asked.
Kashmir Reader talked to the Chairperson of Bijbehara Municipal Committee, Shaheena Nadaf, who said that she has been proactively touring the market time and again to curb such violations.
“Unfortunately, the moment I leave, these shopkeepers return to doing the same thing,” Nadaf told Kashmir Reader. She said that she will soon be touring the market again and will fine the erring shopkeepers.
“I think that is the only way these people can be taught not to cause inconvenience to the general public,” Nadaf said.

Reader correspondent