Slow pace of grade separators construction at Nowgam, Bemina causes traffic jams

Srinagar, Nov 21: Commuters navigating the Nowgam and Bemina stretch are grappling with extensive traffic disruptions due to persistent delay in construction of grade separators.

The projects, initially scheduled for completion in June, have missed multiple deadlines, leading to prolonged traffic jams and inconvenience for daily commuters.

The ongoing construction delays have stirred frustration among commuters who find themselves stuck in hours-long traffic jams.

Blaming the authorities for the unnecessary delays, one commuter took to social media, said, "Deadlines are never meant to be met in Kashmir. The delays in the construction work of grade separators at Nowgam and Bemina have led to traffic disruptions and inconveniences at these crucial junctions, with commuters being forced to drive through hell. They have already missed several deadlines, and nobody seems to be bothered.”

Commuters said that amidst the construction delays, daily life is being significantly disrupted.

One individual shared a personal experience, saying, "Yesterday it took almost 15 minutes to reach Ahmed hospital from this point. It is a big problem, always getting late to college because of this issue."

Sajad Ahmad, Chief Engineer of the Roads and Building department(R&B) told Greater Kashmir that the construction work will be completed in the next three months.

He said there were challenges such as navigating around heavy transmission lines and addressing water-related complexities, which were key hurdles in the construction process.

Ahmad said that in the whole process of construction they had to shift electrical, waterworks, transmission lines and didn’t want to create havoc.

"New construction takes time. If we have to build a new road, it is easier than making something new on the existing infrastructure. We didn't divert the traffic, otherwise it would have been easy," he said.

“If the weather remains favourable, it will be completed in 2-3 months,” he said.

To address traffic congestion at key junctions like Bemina, Nowgam, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has proposed building three 3.23-kilometer flyovers along NH44 in Srinagar. These much-needed infrastructure projects, estimated to cost Rs 100 crore, were initiated in 2020.

Initially greenlit in 2018, these projects have regrettably faced considerable setbacks from the start.