In a bid to ensure hassle free movement of vehicular traffic in summer capital Srinagar, the Regional Transport Authority on Tuesday said to have designated 25 additional routes for e-rickshaws in addition to the 18 routes already notified to ply in and around the City. This decision has been taken in the interest of the functioning of e-rickshaws to provide for a smoother public transport service.
Regional Transport Officer, Kashmir, while sharing details, citing a notification, that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways notification No. S.O. 2812(E) dated 30.08.2016, provides that “the provisions of sub-section (1) of section 66 (dealing with permit for transport vehicles) of Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 shall not apply to any transport vehicle of the category e-cart and e-rickshaw as defined in section 2A of the aforesaid Act used, or to be used, for the purpose of carriage of goods and passengers with their personal luggage respectively – Provided that the State Governments authorities may impose restrictions on plying of these vehicles in specific areas or specific roads.”
“Whereas, the Regional Transport Authority in its last meeting had defined 18 (eighteen) routes listed at Annexure-A for plying e-rickshaws in Srinagar. Whereas, the number of e-rickshaws in the city has increased substantially and in the interest of functioning of e-rickshaws for a smoother public transport service, it was felt imperative to define the additional routes for e-rickshaws.”
“The issue was considered in the meeting of Regional Transport Authority, Srinagar, convened on 13-03-2023, and it was decided that in addition to the already notified routes, the e-rickshaws shall be allowed to ply on some additional routes in and around Srinagar city”, the traffic regulatory officer said adding now therefore, the e-Rickshaws shall be allowed to ply on the following additional routes with the restriction that no e-Rickshaw shall ply anywhere on the National Highway and from Tengpora Bypass to Sonwar and Jehangir Chowk to Airport road segments in the Srinagar City.
“The routes have been carefully selected, taking into consideration the busy areas, the most popular destinations, and the residential areas. The e-rickshaws have been allowed to operate on 45 routes, covering almost every part of the city.”
The first route runs from Parimpora Bypass (Toyota Showroom) to Dharmunnah. The second one starts from Pantha Chowk and goes to Zewan via Gamander BSF Camp. The third and fourth routes start from Shalteng and go to Sharifabad and Kalunna respectively. The fifth route covers Shalteng to Umerabad/Mustafabad.
The sixth and seventh routes start from Batmaloo and go to Tengpora via Dobhi Mohalla, Firdous Abad Colony, and to Allochi Bagh Gurduwara. The eighth and ninth routes start from JVC and go to Qamarwari via HIG Colony, MIG Boat Colony, and Cement Bridge to Palapora via Guzarbal Colony. The tenth and eleventh routes run from Khumani Chowk to Hakkarmula and Bemina Bye Pass to Khumani Chowk.
The twelfth route runs from Hamdania Colony to Sharifabad via Durbal. The thirteenth and fourteenth routes start from Maharaj Gunj and go to Chattabal via Aali Kadal Watal Kadal Safakadal and Cement Bridge via Malik Sahib Ghaisi Mohalla and Zaina Kadal to Shaheed Gunj. The fifteenth route runs from Nawa Kadal to DC Office via Jama Latta Nawab Bazar Zaldagar Sona Masjid Karfalli Mohalla. The sixteenth route starts from Mirwaiz Manzil and goes to Wazapora, Nawa Kadal, Jamallata, Nawabazar, and SMHS Hospital.
The seventeenth and eighteenth routes start from Gojwara-Nowhatta-Malkah-Rainawari and Rawalpora to Baghi Mehtab via Flood Channel Road. The nineteenth and twentieth routes run from Rawalpora to Peerbagh via Flood Channel Road and Kralpora to Wanabal. The twenty-first and twenty-second routes start from Tengpora Bridge to Narkara and Hyderpora Chowk to Shah-Anwar Colony/Gulbarg Colony/Gul-Bahar Colony.
The twenty-third and twenty-fourth routes run from Chanapora Bridge via Gulshan Nagar to Baghi Mehtab Housing Colony and Chanapora to Ahmad Hospital via Methan. The twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth routes run from Srinagar Railway Station to National Highway Bypass and Nowgam Bypass to Arebagh, Magraypora, Mochua. The twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth routes start from B.K Pora to Kralpora and Nowgam Bypass to B. K Pora.
The twenty-ninth and thirtieth routes run from Sempora to Balhama via Zaffron Colony and Ram Bagh to Jawahar Nagar and Rajbagh via Bund. The thirty-first route runs from Broadway to Indra Nagar, among others.