Traffic Nightmare Persists in Srinagar as Defunct Signals Worsen Gridlock

Srinagar, Mar 18: The summer capital - Srinagar- continues to choke under worsening traffic congestion, with commuters reporting significant increases in gridlock over recent weeks. The situation has become particularly dire during Ramadhan, as residents rush to reach home during the evening time for Iftar.

"This has become a never-ending issue, especially for people in Srinagar. There is unbelievable traffic gridlock during evenings which ends up wasting our time stuck in traffic jams. Srinagar seriously needs some major traffic reforms so that commuters can have respite," said Afaq Ahmad, a frustrated commuter.

A primary contributor to the chaos is the continued failure of traffic signals at major junctions across the city. What residents describe as a "so-called smart traffic light project" has been underway for years without producing functional results.

"This issue has added confusion among commuters, and it adds to the traffic jams," one commuter noted, calling for increased deployment of traffic officers at intersections with non-functioning signals.

Commuters also point to poorly placed traffic diversions and barriers as exacerbating the problem, particularly those near Sangarmal fountain.

"We urge authorities to remove such barriers and diversions so that we don't have to suffer. The roads are already choked by vendors and wrong parking. Now this issue adds to the mess," said Faisal Ahmad.

The gridlock isn't merely an inconvenience—it's creating potentially life-threatening situations by impeding emergency vehicles, including ambulances transporting critical care patients.

A senior Srinagar traffic police official acknowledged the problem, attributing part of the current crisis to increased vehicle movement during Ramadan evenings as people rush home for Iftar.

"We will see respite in a couple of weeks as Ramadan ends. We are also carrying drives against other issues like wrong parking, vendor issues which contribute to traffic jams," the official stated, promising additional personnel deployment to manage the situation.