NEELUM VALLEY (Kashmir English): Neelum’s outdated transport has sparked distress among the locals.
The transporters operating in Neelum Valley Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) have maintained an exploitation system for approximately fifty years while making financial profits but failing to offer satisfactory transportation services.
This traveler monopoly fights progress by choosing profits instead of enhancing passenger travel services, even though customers have asked for better services.
The activities of MLA Shah Ghulam Qadir brought minimal improvements to the Neelum Highway’s travel experience. Current transport operations are possible because the dangerous road conditions have improved. Although there has been some improvement in transport infrastructure, the residents still must use dysfunctional vehicles because they lack access to updated travel facilities.
The population of Neelum Valley has started calling for the termination of bus and van services that are maintained in poor conditions. Residents want access to safe transportation systems that correspond to the improved infrastructure through efficient and contemporary methods of movement. The people of Neelum express growing anger toward their inadequate and unreliable transportation system that provides no comfort.
Preceding the current days, a private company sought permission from the High Court to introduce modern vehicles in the region. The transport mafia, which held strong control over the local transport sector, ensured the closure of these approved vehicles, pushing their dominance even tighter. Neelum’s citizens fortified their opposition against the primitive public transport system while they voiced their protests as the legal orders continue to face deliberate violation.
These demonstrations emphasize the immediate necessity to resolve this problem which has existed for a long time. The local population of Neelum ought to receive contemporary transportation that respects their comfort needs instead of the present situation where they face adverse travel conditions.
The legal system supports implementing new transport options, yet enforcement faces obstacles because establishment powers with monopoly positions resist the acceptance of the change.
The situation now demands official intervention that will break down transport cartels. People residing in Neelum Valley should not have to defend their right to receive basic safe and functional transportation. The residents deserve to have their opinions heard because modern transport operators need freedom from the barriers that prevent their services from operating efficiently.
