Srinagar, June 24: Srinagar’s dream of a congestion-free city with a special zone for street vendors seems to have hit a roadblock. Inaugurated in March 2021, the much-awaited Smart Vendor Hawker Zone project promised a designated space for 250 vendors. However, the project remains dysfunctional more than three years later, forcing vendors to operate in public areas, which has caused significant congestion on the city’s streets.
According to official details available with Srinagar-based news gathering agency Kashmir Dot Com, the Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha inaugurated this Rs 4 crore Smart Vendor Hawker Zone project at Jehangir Chowk in March 2021, to provide space for all-but 250 vendors. The project administration then said it would have a solar lighting system, multiple categories of kiosks, restaurants, vending machines, water ATMs, and adequate parking space, thus decongesting the roads and enabling smooth traffic movement around Jehangir Chowk Junction.
However, vendors say that more than three years later, this much-publicized Smart Vendor Hawker Zone has not been made operational for reasons better known to the officials of Smart City, leaving hundreds of vendors in limbo.
“With no designated space to operate from, these vendors have spilled over onto the city’s streets, causing chaos in popular areas like Hari Singh High Street, Jehangir Chowk and Dalgate. What were once bustling public spaces are now choked with vendors, making it difficult for both pedestrians and vehicles to navigate,” the local residents said.
“This reluctance on the part of the Smart City authorities in making this project functional raises serious questions about the management of the Smart City project. Instead of creating a ‘smarter’ Srinagar, the project seems to be making things worse. Srinagar residents deserve better. The authorities need to get their act together, make the hawker zone functional quickly, and shift the vendors to ensure a smooth transition. Only then can this project truly live up to its name and make Srinagar a more organized and pedestrian-friendly city,” the locals added.
Efforts to reach out to incumbent CEO of Srinagar Smart City Limited (SSCL) didn’t materialize as he didn’t respond to repeated calls from the news agency. (KDC)
