Uncovered manholes pose risk of accidents to commuters in Srinagar

Srinagar, Dec 19: Uncovered manholes in various areas of the summer capital are posing risk of accidents to commuters.

Commuters said that amid heavy traffic, these uncovered manholes have become a death trap. “Despite being a high traffic zone, multiple manholes along Residency road are uncovered. If this is the condition in the heart of Srinagar, we can imagine situation in other areas. There is a massive rush of vehicles and pedestrians on the road, and uncovered manholes pose a risk of accidents,” said Mohammed Saleem, a commuter at Residency Road.

After sunset, these uncovered manholes are not visible and pose risk for commuters. Many aggrieved commuters took to social media and highlighted the issue of uncovered manholes in Srinagar. Locals from Downtown said that at various places, including Nowhatta, there are multiple manholes that are posing a threat to pedestrians. They said that in several places, these manholes are temporarily covered by wooden planks, bricks, and other materials, which makes it even more risky.

“We have so many uncovered manholes in Downtown areas. Sometimes, locals put sticks and bags around open manholes to ensure these are visible to commuters. At places, these manholes are covered with wooden planks which is very dangerous,” said Asif Ahmad, a local from Gojwara.

The residents also said that since the work on Smart City projects is going on, there are many manholes and open pits that should be covered accordingly. The locals from the Nigeen area also complained about open manholes on walkways. They said that locals had covered these manholes with stones, etc.

An official from Srinagar Smart City said that they received complaints about open manholes in Lal Chowk, and we have fixed it already. He said that they would check if there were any other open manholes that were damaged or without covers, and they would fix them accordingly.

“We are doing some underground cabling work in Downtown, and that is why there are manhole-like pits in some places. These are being simultaneously covered. We will still look into it and work accordingly,” said the official.