Ganderbal: Students and daily passengers travelling between Kulan and Kangan have urged the concerned authorities and mini-matador stand presidents to ensure timely operation of public transport on the route, saying commuters are often forced to spend considerably more than the stipulated one hour to reach their destination.
Passengers said the issue is not related to over-speeding, and they do not expect drivers to drive recklessly. However, they said many mini-matadors are operated at an unusually slow pace, with drivers travelling comfortably and taking longer than the expected time to complete the journey.
The delay is particularly causing inconvenience to students travelling to government and private schools and colleges. Passengers said those depending on the service during morning hours often face difficulties in reaching their educational institutions and workplaces on time.
According to commuters, the journey between Kulan and Kangan is supposed to take around an hour under normal traffic conditions. However, the slow pace of some vehicles frequently extends the travel time, leaving passengers waiting and affecting their daily schedules.
Students and other commuters said there is a need to strike a balance between safety and punctuality. They stressed that drivers should neither resort to over-speeding nor drive unnecessarily slowly, but should maintain a reasonable and safe speed while following the prescribed timings.
BJP leader Junaid Khattana has also urged the concerned authorities and stand presidents to look into the issue and ensure that drivers adhere to the stipulated schedule.
Khattana said proper monitoring of the route is necessary so that passengers, particularly students, do not face avoidable delays. He urged the stand presidents to sensitise drivers about maintaining both road safety and punctuality.
Passengers have appealed to the concerned authorities to regularly monitor the operation of mini-matadors between Kulan and Kangan and ensure that the approved timings are followed. They said a reliable and properly regulated transport service would provide much-needed relief to students, employees and other daily commuters travelling along the route.
