All J&K Transport Welfare Association pays tribute to flash flood victims, demands immediate government action on crisis in transport sector

JAMMU: The All Jammu & Kashmir Transport Welfare Association, under the leadership of S. Karan Singh Wazir, convened a solemn gathering today to pay tribute to the innocent lives lost in the recent flash floods and cloudbursts in Kishtwar and Kathua. Representatives from numerous passenger transport unions stood united in grief and solidarity, observing a two-minute silence to honour those who perished in this catastrophe.

While expressing condolences, the Association did not hold back in its criticism of the administration’s continued negligence toward the crisis gripping the transport sector. Addressing the media, Vijay Singh Chib, President of the Association, acknowledged the delayed yet welcome progress on the long- pending E-rickshaw and E-bus matters. He confirmed that the documentation has finally been completed, but warned that further delays in implementation would reflect nothing short of administrative apathy.

Mr. Chib sharply criticised the government over the indiscriminate blacklisting of vehicles and unjustified E-challans, which have become a systemic harassment of law-abiding transporters. He described the situation as "chaotic and unsustainable," accusing authorities of pushing the transport community to the brink of collapse through arbitrary and punitive actions. He demanded an urgent and time-bound review of these practices, warning that continued silence from the administration would only provoke intensified agitation from transporters across the Union Territory.

S. Parvinder Singh, Chief Patron of the Association, issued a scathing critique of the government’s inaction in formulating a comprehensive transport policy or relief package, despite the sector being the backbone of the region’s economy. He underscored the fact that Jammu & Kashmir’s economy is intricately tied to tourism, and when tourism suffers—as it currently does— transporters bear the brunt of the fallout. Singh warned that the absence of concrete government intervention could soon lead to an irreversible collapse of the transport ecosystem in the UT.

The Association has made it clear: token gestures and delayed responses are no longer acceptable. The transport sector demands immediate relief, policy clarity, and a halt to bureaucratic overreach. If the government continues to ignore these urgent demands, the All J&K Transport Welfare Association will have no choice but to intensify its protest and mobilize transporters across the region for a large-scale agitation.