Who is to be blamed?

The number of registered vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir has almost doubled during the past seven years with the figures revealing that the number has gone up from 14.88 lakh in 2017 to 27.29 lakh till December 2024. Alongside this surge, the Motor Vehicles Department has generated Rs 697.84 crore revenue during the financial year 2024-25 (ending December 2024), against a target of Rs 1430 crores. Additionally, in the previous financial year (2023-24), the department collected Rs 925.32 crores, surpassing the target of Rs 915 crores. However, the increasing revenue generation has failed to bring any respite to the people, especially the commuters while traversing through the roads in Srinagar and elsewhere. The vehicle owners, registered with the Motor Vehicles Department deserve the proper maintenance of the roads and also the much-needed widening for smooth vehicular movement. But, these facilities to the commuters have remained a dream for them as no concrete measures are being taken to decongest the roads, causing frequent gridlocks and traffic congestions. While the redesigning and beautification of the roads have further made them congested, the government has mentioned in the Legislative Assembly that the Smart City project has not exacerbated traffic congestion or created bottlenecks in key areas of the city. The million dollar question remains, who is to be blamed for the persistent traffic congestion and also for the congestion of the roads, which should have been decongested on the priority for the smooth and hassle free passage to the vehicular movement. Instead of maintaining silence on this grave issue, the time is apt to make the departments accountable to ensure the roads are widened to accommodate the increasing number of registered vehicles in Jammu and Kashmir.