Incessant rains hit normal life in Srinagar

Srinagar, Apr 27: Incessant rains affected normal life in the summer capital on Saturday even as commuters faced tough time due to waterlogging and traffic jams.

Locals said dilapidated, under construction roads dotted with potholes compounded their problems. Commuters said defunct drainage system and dilapidated roads cause inconvenience to them.

The locals in Downtown areas, including Khanyar, Nowpora, Nowhatta, Makhdoom Sahib, Khawaja Bazar, Hawal, Batamaloo, Bemina, and other areas, said that dilapidated roads and defunct drainage gave them a tough time.

“For the last over a month, there have been multiple rain spells, and every time, we face huge inconvenience. It is not only about waterlogging, but roads in Downtown turn into cesspools when there is rainfall. Unless roads are fixed, we will continue to suffer,” said Ashraf Mir, a local from Downtown.

The locals blamed the slow pace of smart city work as the major reason for mess in Downtown. The residents said that the dug-up roads and lying around material turned the roads into dangerous mazes. Meanwhile, many locals in Downtown and Uptown areas of Srinagar decried the inadequate drainage system.

“We are already facing issues due to bad roads, and when there is rainfall, the drainage failure is evident. Every time, authorities have to resort to dewatering pumps to ensure that residential areas are not flooded. This can be fixed permanently if a proper drainage system is put in place. For the last two months, rainfall has waterlogged our areas of Batamaloo and adjacent areas, as we suffer silently,” said Bashir Ahmadn, a local from Batamaloo.

The commuters said that due to incomplete bridges, dug-up roads, and waterlogging in Srinagar, they are facing massive traffic jams. They said that diversions at major traffic junctions in Srinagar waste their precious time due to traffic jams.

An official from Srinagar Smart City said that work on multiple projects is ongoing, and roads in Srinagar, including Downtown, will be back in good shape. “We will ensure that roads and other projects are pursued in a coordinated manner so that the problems are permanently fixed,” said the official.