Srinagar, Sept. 12 -- Residents and shopkeepers of Bemina on Friday raised fresh alarm over an open drainage system, a pungent stench wafting from it, and the absence of pedestrian footpaths, problems they say have made daily movement hazardous and led to accidents.

Nazir Ahmad, a local businessman, pointed to the stretch between the KFC showroom and Iqbalabad and described the situation as dangerous. "From the KFC showroom to Iqbalabad the drain is open. Some days back three people fell in the drain because it is open. We request authorities to do something about it," he said.

Many residents stressed the problem is long-standing. Parvaiz Ahmad Mir, president of the Shoppers Association in Bemina, said: "From the last 25 years nothing h...