Mubashir Alam Wani
Srinagar, Jul 3: Despite the massive makeover of city roads under the Srinagar Smart City project, traffic movement remains sluggish in many parts, causing significant hardships for commuters.
Residents from several areas of Srinagar and elsewhere from the valley said that travelling on many city roads is fraught with delays and challenges.
“The traffic movement is too slow, especially on MA Road and Residency Road. Although authorities promised us smart travel, our journeys remain hectic and troublesome,” said a Srinagar resident.
Mohammad Shafi, another Srinagar resident, shared his difficulties in reaching his shop at the Residency Road in Lal Chowk due to regular traffic congestion from the Munawarabad and Khayam sides of the city. “I don’t use the car because it takes hours; instead, I use a scooty. Even that has become hectic due to limited road space,” he said.
Many people said that traffic congestion was frequent on MA Road and Residency Road during peak hours and weekends, with two-wheelers often resorting to riding on footpaths meant for pedestrians.
Last week, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri held a meeting to address traffic issues at various city locations, setting timelines for completing road upgrades and developmental works.
During the meeting, Bidhuri discussed the slow movement of traffic at Nishat and directed Srinagar Smart City officers to ensure gradient levelling through concrete for comfortable commuter movement.
The Div Com directed the creation of no-hawker and no-halting zones at Nishat Garden, with the installation of signages and imposition of heavy fines for violations.
To reduce congestion caused by school vehicles on picnic trips, the meeting decided that schools should inform city traffic police of their schedules in advance.
The Divisional Commissioner also instructed concerned officers to complete the remaining developmental works for circular turnaround operations and expedite upgrades at the interiors of the Jehangir Chowk flyover.
During the meeting, it was informed that beautification and upgrading work on Hari Singh High Street would commence soon.
Notably, the Dalgate bridge, connecting the famous attraction Dal Lake on one side and downtown and city centre Lal Chowk on the other, was reopened for traffic last week after being closed for reconstruction.
While the Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) remains absent in regulating the traffic movement in the city, the traffic police department is regulating the traffic through physical deployment of their men on roads and junctions.
Meanwhile, several calls were made to city traffic police authorities to seek comment on regulating the traffic in the city, but there was no response to repeated calls.
