Ajay Sharma
Reasi, December 30: A large proportion of vehicles plying on the ever busy Katra-Shiv Khori road are reportedly without proper permits, whereas traffic police in the region appear oblivious.
According to sources, many buses, especially Minibus-407, are plying on the route without proper route permit.
“It appears there is no fear of law among the vehicle owners and drivers, who are running vehicles without proper permit of the route,” said sources, adding that most of the drivers have permits from other route-destinations, probably outside of Katra of low passenger flow.
They said that all this is happening while in the knowledge of the traffic department, which did not take adequate steps to check this menace.
“Though the district police frequently lay nakas enroute and punish the violators, but the onus of streamlining this menace of vehicles without documents lies on the traffic department,” said sources, adding that there is huge influx of tourists, especially on the Katra-Shiv Khori route and there are number of nakas enroute.
Despite nakas, it is surprising these vehicles ply uninterruptedly and unabatedly. “It appears that there is something fishy in the traffic department,” said sources, adding that despite putting nakas, if the vehicles without permit are crossing it, means it is happening in connivance of the deployed officials of the traffic department.
Sources questioned who will be responsible if there is any untoward incident happens with the vehicle without permit while passengers onboard.
“Will the traffic department take the responsibility for the vehicle, which has no permit for the route,” asked the sources, adding that in the past as well it has been seen that many vehicles met with accidents did not have proper documents thus lose the insurance cover.
Meanwhile, locals in the area have urged upon the DIG Traffic, SSP Traffic and other senior officers to intervene and constitute a team to investigate how these vehicles are running without proper documents and who are the officers involved in the mess.
Astonishingly, talking to Northlines, SHO Pouni said that the traffic department lay naka, but vehicles do not cross them as they get prior inputs.
Till the higher Traffic authorities take corrective measures to check these violating vehicles, a potential havoc is in waiting to strike any time thus leaving the passengers coverless travelling in an eventuality.
