Terming the traffic diversion as announced by the divisional administration a conspiracy to sabotage commercial activities ahead of business season in the Valley, president Kashmir.Traders and Manufacturers Federation Haji Muhammed Yasin Khan Saturday a Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to personally look into the matter.“The closure of vehicular movement on the Jehangir Chowk-Ram Bagh road and the traffic diversion plan as announced on the directives of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, is not reportedly politically motivated and half baked, but the diversion system will throw the commercial activities of the civil lines into chaos, at a time when the tourist season is about to start,” Khan said in a statement to CNS.Khan said despite being mandatory the Divisional Commissioner didn’t bother to call a meeting with the Kashmir Inc including tourism players, civil society, media fraternity and others concerned, before taking this decision, which will impact life in the civil lines for months to come. “Divisional Commissioner reportedly decided everything in the absence of stakeholders.”
Supporting the protest staged by the traders of Solina and Ram Bagh, Khan said the improper diversion will bring traffic movement to grinding halt across the summer capital. “The first causality will be market places in the civil lines including historic Lal Chowk, Regal Chowk, Poloview, Maisuma, Maharaja Bazar, HSHS, Batamaloo, Karan Nagar, Magarmal Bagh, Ram Bagh and Solina markets,” he said.Khan said it is strange and irony that the MLA Amira Kadal Syed Altaf Bukhari whose constituency forms the key to civil lines andcommercial hubs has been silent on the issue. "He must raise the issue of the stakeholders."Two years ago, when the leading newspaper of Kashmir published news that the government will close the Jehangir Chowk-Ram Bagh road, that time the government assured us that the road will not be closed. But now the report has been vindicated while the timing of the road closure suggests that it’s a game plan against the interests of Srinagar in particular and Kashmir in general,” Khan said. (CNS)