Traffic jams pester Srinagarities

Commuters faced tough time on Tuesday due to massive traffic jams in various areas of the summer capital.
Traffic came to a grinding halt in city centre areas including Jehangir Chowk, Budshah Chowk, Residency Road, Maulana Azad Road, Regal Chowk, TRC, Polo View, and Ram Bagh— causing inconvenience to commuters.
The problem was compounded by absence of traffic cops at vital intersections and wrong parking. Some of the VIPs were also stuck in traffic jam near Jehangir Chowk. However, the traffic cops ensured their passage amid traffic jams.
“It took me around 15 minutes to cross Abdullah Bridge due to traffic jam. This shows failure of traffic cops to regulate vehicular movement,” said Hilal Ahmad, a commuter.
“The concerned authorities are acting as mute spectators to traffic jams. They only hold meetings and formulate traffic plans. Ironically, these are never implemented on the ground,” said a group of aggrieved commuters stranded at Abdullah Bridge.
Though the Traffic authorities have prohibited parking on roadsides especially at busy Residency Road, however in absence of regulation, commuters continue to violate the directive.
“Parking on roadsides in city centre is not viable due to heavy rush of vehicles,” said Adil Hamid, a commuter.
At several places, haphazard parking of vehicles hampers traffic movement. “Some shopkeepers even park their vehicles in markets. This also leads to traffic jams and causes inconvenience to us. It is high time that the concerned authorities wake up from slumber and restore traffic system,” said Nazir Ahmad of Khanyar.
A group of employees said the “defunct” traffic system has put their jobs at stake as they fail to reach their respective offices on time.
Authorities have also failed to complete the construction of Jehangir-Chowk-Rambagh flyover. The project meant to provide smooth passage to commuters, is yet to be completed despite missing several deadlines.
Senior superintendent of police Traffic (Srinagar) Tahir Saleem said that “traffic congestion occurred due to protests in some areas.”
“Besides, it was after two days that markets reopened in Srinagar and most of the people came out for shopping,” the SSP added.