Lingering Smart City works take toll on commuters in Srinagar

Srinagar, July 14: Sluggish pace of Srinagar Smart City works is taking a toll on commuters in the summer capital.

Commuters said that the projects meant to facelift the city are taking longer than the planned time, which has ended up choking the Srinagar areas.

Commuters said that the slow pace of work in Downtown and adjoining areas of Srinagar are taking a toll on them. They said that the frequent traffic jams and dilapidated roads are pestering them.

They said that areas like Nowpora, Khanyar, Nowhatta, Nawa Kadal, and adjoining areas are facing traffic jams due to the slow pace of the projects. They said that at various places, work has been abandoned and construction material on the road is creating traffic bottlenecks.

“For people of Downtown, the smart city works have become a nightmare. At Nowpora and Khanyar, work continues at a snail’s pace. At places like Gojwara and Nowhatta areas, work is going on at a slow pace. We have observed that multiple sites have been opened for construction, and there has been no coordination. The work is half done in some areas, and then the contractors move to other spots, and so on. This is giving us a tough time,” said Showket Ahmad, a local from Khanyar.

They said that blacktopping, drainage, and footpath construction at various places have been taking long, which has crippled the city. “After sunset, this construction material hinders navigation and poses a risk of accidents. Even after the completion at sites, the area is not immediately cleared of this material, and this has been happening more often,” said Mushtaq Ahmad, of Naid Kadal area of Downtown.

The locals said that besides Downtown and other city areas, tourist spots like Nishat Garden road have also faced the brunt of the slow pace of Smart City works for past few months.

“Locals in the adjoining area are also facing a huge traffic mess. These construction sites have become traffic bottlenecks and are taking a toll on us,” said a local from Nishat.

The locals also decried the lack of safety measures around construction sites. They said the developmental work shouldn’t come at the cost of safety. They said that the dug-up roads and drains are without any safety measures, which is also posing a risk to commuters and pedestrians.

CEO Srinagar Smart City Limited recently said that over 95 percent of the work under SSCL has been completed. He said that only the final touches of the work are pending and will be completed soon. However, the locals decried that the pending work has been giving them a tough time and appealed to the authorities to speed up the work so that they don’t have to suffer.