In an attempt to minimise traffic congestion in the city, students and management of the Government Medical College (GMC), Srinagar, has decided to use bicycles and carpooling.
The decision to use bicycles and opt for carpooling was taken on Saturday at a joint meeting of the college faculty and students which was chaired by GMC Principal Kaiser Ahmad, a government spokesman said.
“The meeting decided that the students of the college will start using bicycles voluntarily for coming to college and similarly possibility of area-wise carpooling will be explored with the connection of a database of car owners from the college in each area,” the spokesman said.
The collage administration has also decided to approach the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) to lend buses to the college for ferrying students and staff thereby minimising the use of individual vehicles.
The decision has come at a time when the city is witnessing one of the worst traffic crisis as the ongoing construction of a flyover has shut the busy stretch of road from Jehangir Chowk to Ram Bagh. To streamline the traffic, the district administration has imposed diversions and many roads have been restricted to one-way traffic flow.
However, despite diversions and other measures, the traffic movement in the city remains a pestering affair as many roads get blocked during rush hours. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had earlier appealed to the city residents to minimise the use of individual vehicles and instead prefer carpooling to avoid traffic congestion on the roads.
The meeting of faculty and students at the GMC hoped that their bid to go for cycling and carpooling will help in clearing the college space from vehicle congestion and “also contribute in lessening traffic presence in Srinagar city”.
To escape traffic, GMC staff opt for cycling
