Traffic jams pester commuters in Srinagar

Srinagar, Oct 16: Massive traffic jams in the summer capital during peak hours are taking a toll on commuters here.

The city areas today witnessed massive traffic gridlocks at vital routes in the city centre and its adjacent areas. Office goers, students, and other passengers had a tough time due to gridlocks. They said that major traffic gridlocks were witnessed at MA Road, Jehangir Chowk, Barzulla, Batamaloo, and Downtown areas of Srinagar.

“There were huge traffic jams at all major routes in Srinagar city. Traffic bottlenecks across various junctions in city are taking a heavy toll on us,” said Sahil Bhat, a commuter.

The commuters also decried multiple traffic diversions. They appealed to authorities to ensure that there are more traffic cops deployed on vital routes to ensure better traffic management. Amid traffic jams, ambulances and other essential services were stuck for long time.

“We as commuters can manage getting stuck in traffic, but what about essential services? We saw several times that patients died on the way while getting stuck in traffic jams. Essential services like fire and emergency tenders also get stuck in traffic jams which are a matter of life and death. We hope that authorities will take the issue seriously so that the traffic issue can be addressed,” said Abdul Hamid, another commuter.

The commuters said the dilapidated roads and the ongoing development works have left many vital routes in shambles. They said that vendors and other shopkeepers have occupied the footpaths, and the flow of pedestrians is further burdening roads, which also adds to the issue.

“In addition to that, the lack of parking spaces is leading to roadside parking, and these issues add up to a massive traffic mess. In Downtown, many roads are yet to be fixed, and this is also hindering the traffic flow,” said Altaf Ahmad, a local from Downtown.

Greater Kashmir has done a series of stories on the issue. The officials said that they would deploy more men on the ground to address the issue.

“During peak hours, there is a huge flow of vehicles, and we will ensure to streamline traffic accordingly. Traffic diversions are also removed simultaneously to ensure smooth flow,” said an official of the Traffic Department.