Amid rains, dilapidated roads give tough time to commuters in Srinagar

Srinagar, Aug 29: Amid incessant rains, dilapidated roads in the city's areas caused inconvenience to commuters and pedestrians on Thursday.

Commuters said potholes and caved-in roads at various places turned into cesspools, hindering smooth movement of traffic.

Residents in various areas of Srinagar, including Downtown, Uptown, and the Hazratbal outskirts, said that many areas witnessed waterlogging due to inadequate drainage.

The commuters also said that the issue was compounded by the dilipidated roads at various places, including Khanyar, Nowhatta, Hawal, Hazratbal, and adjoining areas of Srinagar.

“There were cesspools on damaged roads due to the rains, which made it extremely tough to commute. Over the last couple of days, we have been having a tough time as there are huge waterlogged potholes that pose a risk of accidents amid rains. Amid rains, it is hard to locate these potholes, which makes things even worse,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, a commuter.

The locals said that work is in progress at various places in Downtown. They said construction material at several places is hindering traffic and creating traffic jams in Srinagar areas.

The locals in Downtown lambasted authorities for the inadequate drainage system. They said that over the past few weeks, Downtown has witnessed massive waterlogging. They said despite claims of augmentation in drainage and roads, the locals are having a tough time during rainfall.

“Manholes are overflowing amid rains, and since last month, the water has been entering residential areas during rains. There is a serious need to look into the issue of inadequate drainage. Several areas in Srinagar outskirts like Hazratbal are lacking the drainage and during rainfall it gets problematic for us,” said Asif Ahmad a local from Hazratbal.

A senior official from Srinagar Smart City Ltd said that several areas have augmented drainage systems.

“Once the projects are completed, majority of these issues will be addressed,” he said.