Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) seems to have turned a blind eye towards the nuisance created by Rehris across the city. The whole city is occupied by them which are creating problem for the commuters.
Rehris not only lead to traffic chaos, but also cause hindrance in the movement of pedestrians in busiest areas like Moti Bazar, Raj Tilak Road, Link Road, Jain Bazar, Pacca Danga, Parade, Rani Park area etc where the roads already are very congested. At any hour of the day, one will find huge traffic jam here and during the peak morning and evening hours it is a complete mess here.
“It’s really very difficult to pass through Moti Bazar road especially during the evening hours when these Rehriwallas are doing business in full swing. You will not find any space there to walk. These Rehris occupy the road and not only cause hindrance in smooth movement of vehicles but also create nuisance for public. The loud noise of horns of vehicles and hawking of these Rehriwallas add to choas,” said Vijay Kumar, a resident of Moti Bazar.
Another resident of Parade, Vishal Jain shared that Rehris cause problem for pedestrians as most of the road sides are occupied by them. The carts on roads leave no room for the pedestrians to walk, he further said. Parade is hub of matadors and one will find a huge rush of passengers and other commuters here. Already there is a chaos on this road due to matadors and other haphazardly parked private vehicles and these Reharis further complement the existing mess.
Shatrughan Jamwal, a resident of Link Road shared, “If we recollect just few years back, the old Bazaars of Pacca Danga, Link Road, Moti Bazaar, Kanak Mandi and Raghunath Bazaar had charm of their own. But now due to rapid development of commercial buildings, encroachments on road sides, increasing number of Reharis along the road sides and chaotic traffic, these markets are losing their charm. This is affecting the local business too. Customers who come to the market park vehicles on the road side, with the Rehariwalas also carrying out their business there, the already congested road become more congested and this situation within a few minutes leads to huge traffic jams.”
It’s really sad that the concerned authorities have failed to take any action against these carts that are flourishing and due to this liberal approach adopted by the authorities, number of street vendors and Rehris in Jammu is increasing and causing regular traffic jams and more congestion for both vehicles and pedestrians.
Malu Kerni
