Traffic woes in Srinagar reach Assembly

Srinagar, Oct 27: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday informed the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly that people experience frequent traffic congestion at main chowk outside SKIMS Soura.

The query in this regard was raised by NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq who asked the government if it was aware about the issues with regard to frequent traffic jams near SKIMS Soura due to heavy inflow of vehicles from multiple directions including Buchpora Soura, 90-feet road and Nowshera, causing inconvenience to the patients visiting the hospitals.

In its written reply, the government informed the House that the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department has taken cognizance of the problem faced by the general public.

"The government has sanctioned the construction of Foot Bridge in front of SKIMS Soura connecting across the road at an estimated cost of Rs 219.98 lakh under sub head 3342 construction of roads," the government informed the House.

As per the reply, Rs.12.50 lakh has already been released to Chief Engineer, central Kashmir. "The bridge shall be completed by next financial year," the government informed the House.

This newspaper has carried a series of stories about the frequent traffic jams in Srinagar, causing huge inconvenience to the commuters.

Besides the uptown areas, old city parts also witness massive traffic gridlocks, particularly during peak hours-morning and evening.

The stretch from Qamarwari chowk connecting Noor Bagh is one such location where traffic movement comes to a standstill.

The area has a narrow stretch and the vehicles coming from both the side (Qamarwari and Noor Bagh) pass through a single bridge, causing massive gridlock at the spot.

The delay inthe  completion of the Noor Bagh bridge is one of the major factors contributing to the traffic mess in the area. The construction on the bridge has been going on for the last 14 years, at snail's pace.