Security personnel keep vigil near the Clock Tower at Lal Chowk on the occasion of Diwali, in Srinagar (PTI Photo)

In an unusual directive, Srinagar Traffic Police have asked auto rickshaws plying in the city to remove their black hoods and replace them with transparent coverings. While the police have cited security reasons, the move has drawn concerns about privacy and financial burden on drivers.

Srinagar Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Bisma Qazi said autorickshaw owners need to put up see-through sheets so that the interiors are visible from outside.

“We appeal to everyone that the black doors you have kept, the black cavities that you have made, you put transparent sheets instead,” Qazi said while speaking to reporters during a drive to remove the doors of auto rickshaws in Srinagar.…