STATE TIMES NEWS
DODA: Hundreds of villagers hailing from Bidwan, Chata, Hanch, Zehand, Dhara and Posta besides relatives of victims in Bidwan road accident on Saturday held a protest against the government, district administration and traffic authorities for failing to provide more SRTC bus service on Doda Dhara Gundna Road.
The protestors demanded new fleet of the State Road Transport Corporation (SRTC) in the region as private buses plying on various routes in the district particularly on Doda-Gundna Road are not in a good condition.
They alleged that vehicles plying on this road are out dated and drivers are mostly using kerosene oil instead of petrol. Pertinent to mention here that on 10th April 2016, six people lost their precious lives and 50 others injured seriously in a road accident in Bidwan village on Doda District. Protesters demanded better bus service to their villages to prevent any such event in future.
One of the protestors Saleen Malik said our roads are in a bad condition and despite repeated complaints the authorities have done nothing so far. The protest continued for about six hours in Doda town outside DC Office which disrupted movement of traffic.
The protestors appealed to the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, MoS Transport Sunil Sharma, DC Doda and other concerned authorities to look into this grave problem personally and recommend early services of SRTC buses on Doda District link routes to avert any more loss to the human lives.
Meanwhile Patron YSCC Manzoor Ahmed Batt in a press statement said that there is no check on overloading in buses in our district as there was shortage of vehicles adding people have no other choice but to travel on overloaded vehicles as only a few vehicles ply on village routes and demanded immediate service of SRTC buses in entire Doda District.
