Mehbooba Mufti asks students to help implement 'odd-even' in J&K

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday sought cooperation of people of the state to cope with increased road traffic and called upon students to voluntarily help implement odd-even scheme, similar to the one in Delhi.

"Till the time all the departments come together and people do not cooperate, there will be no solution to traffic woes. We will try to remove bottlenecks, start bus services and other facilities, but I seek cooperation of the people in this," Mehbooba told reporters here.

The Chief Minister was speaking to the media after chairing a high-level meeting on traffic problems.

Mehbooba called upon the students of various colleges and universities to set an example by implementing odd-even scheme.

"You see many vehicles are parked outside a college, students come in cars to colleges, similarly in universities and they occupy a lot of space.

"I think that if they take this initiative, others will follow. It will be an example for the whole world that our students have voluntarily started something," she said.

The chief minister said if the students succeed, then peoples' mindset would automatically change.

"So, I am looking forward to cooperation from our young boys and girls to show us the way by adopting odd-even," she said.

Mehbooba said she has asked officials to free up space in the commercial hub of Lal Chowk and make it a model for other areas to follow.

"I told the officials to free up space in and around Lal Chowk. I told them to ask the traders and common people to park their vehicles only at designated parking spaces by giving them weekly or monthly packages so that no one parks their vehicle on the road.

"We want to turn Lal Chowk into a model and I request traders and shopkeepers to help us in doing that, because if they do not, then we will not be able to do anything," she said.

The Chief Minister also said vendors who have occupied footpaths in various areas of the city would be vacated and a suitable place allocated to them.

"I want some space to be allocated to vendors. I told the officials to register them through their Aadhar cards, so that they are given separate spaces and footpaths are vacated," she said.