Srinagar, June 19: Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday directed authorities to permit vehicles carrying material required for construction and maintenance works undertaken by the R & B department within the municipal limits of Srinagar.

Hearing a Public Interest Litigation, a bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Sanjay Dhar passed the orders on an application filed by the R&B. it said that the SSP Traffic City Srinagar vide order (No. GB-No-Entry/20/2741-54) on 1 March 2020 has ordered that no heavy vehicles and other heavy commercial vehicles are allowed to enter into the Srinagar City from 07:00 AM to 10:00 PM to avoid traffic congestion.

“The Department of R&B is in charge of activities pertaining to construction and maintenance of roads, bridges and major infrastructural buildings of all Government Departments in J&K. There is an urgent need of repairing of dilapidated roads and macadamization of roads in the Srinagar city and without allowing entry of vehicles carrying the material for construction/macadamization of roads in the Srinagar city during day time would affect the pace of development work,” it said.

It also urged the court to allow the entry of vehicles carrying the material for construction/macadamization of roads in the Srinagar city during day time as the work could be carried out in an efficient and fast way.

“The traffic City, Srinagar and its agencies shall permit vehicles carrying material required for construction and maintenance works being undertaken by the Department of R & B within the municipal limits of Srinagar,” the court said. (GNS)