Majid Hyderi
While Kashmir is bracing up for business season, the summer capital of Srinagar is headed for a major chaos on the already congested roads. This time it won’t be routine traffic jams but worse: the ‘traffic terror’. The prediction doesn’t need any rocket technology; sometimes common sense is enough.
In a bid to avoid any mishap, a high level committee led by Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon has decided to close down the arterial Jahangir Chowk-Ram Bagh corridor in the wake of ongoing construction of the JCRB flyover.
SSP Traffic Maqsood-Uz-Zaman, a competent officer, has prepared the traffic diversion plan. But there are logical apprehensions. Though in papers diversion plan is being seen as the best, on roads it may prove the worst. Reasons? The diversion plan needs to be seen beyond the best case scenario where vehicular traffic will flow like dream sequence.
The reality of JCRB artery is altogether different. Apart from being the main connectivity to the south and west City, this road is also the main link to central and south Kashmir. Besides, it is the key road to the Srinagar International Airport and the Srinagar-Jammu highway. Even though there’s an alternate connectivity with the highway and south Kashmir via Sonawar-Pantha Chowk route, it’s least preferred given the presence of Badami Bagh garrison enroute and the mess at Pantha Chowk.
So vehicles coming in from the highway or areas like Pulwama, Shopian, Budgam obviously bank on JCRB route. Add to this, thousands of vehicles of south City inhabitants and those visiting the airport, which caters around 30 flights a day.
The number of vehicles driving down the JRCB route is huge. In 2010, the then SSP Traffic Srinagar Shoket Shah got a study conducted and it was found that over 50,000 vehicles traverse this road at peak hours.
Six years on, number of vehicles has grown. As of now, as per the Regional Transport Officer, Kashmir alone has 2,74,863 registered vehicles, of which Srinagar has the lion’s share of 1,67,963 vehicles. The figures exclude thousands of security force vehicles.
It would have suited if the Tulsi Bagh government-quarters road, which runs parallel to Solina was thrown open as alternative. From Dr Sir Muhammad Iqbal Park up to Ram Bagh bund it would have been a smooth drive except for a ramp, which needed to be raised near the bund.
Interestingly Economic Reconstruction Agency, which is executing the flyover project, had tabled this traffic management proposal. But the idea was dropped for “security reasons”.
But then there had been apprehension that the JCRB road would be closed. In 2013, this author religiously highlighted the issue in a local newspaper, but the authorities pleaded otherwise. Three years on, however, the apprehension stands vindicated. The JCRB road shall remain closed for over a year till the 4-year project is completed.
In the prevalent situation, the authorities have devised a traffic plan where rush will shift on to the Batamaloo corridor, which has a two way access with the south city highway; one through Batamaloo bus stand and the other through Tatto Ground-Bemina route. But both are congested.
The chaos has been so visible that the traffic signals at Tattoo Ground are often kept off because the electronic system is unable to manage traffic flow. On the other hand, the dedicated corridor via Batamaloo bus stand, which is flooded with workshops and street vendors, has already failed as alternative.
A major problem on this route to Teng Pora highway via Mominabad is that of the bus stand. Over the years successive regimes avoided its much-needed relocation only to safeguard their vote banks. Otherwise the relocation of the bus stand to Parim Pora, where a much better facility was already in place was a futuristic solution.
But now the proposed relocation is more difficult as the Srinagar Development Authority owned bus stand at Parim Pora has been converted into a slum where dozens of hutments have come up. Here again vote bank politics seems to be playing its role.
Amid these many limitations of giving a decent alternative to JCRB route, the authorities have come up with a plan which has already failed in the last two years. The diversion route is flooded with encroachments. The traffic police is equally understaffed with mere 300 odd cops when over 1000 men are actually needed to manage the diversions alone.
It’s high time for the stakeholders, particularly MLAs, the Kashmir Inc and the civil society to pick up the issue with the concerned particularly Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Forums like the KCCI, KEA, KTMF, KCSDS and others must raise the issue before Srinagar comes to grinding halt paralyzing our normal life and business, alike. Even the ADGP SM Sahai headed Institute of Studies, Learning and Analyses (ISLA), which last year held a workshop of traffic management has a role to play.
After all, let’s not forget that drive down to City center is already messy. Let it not be messier!
Author is freelance journalist and analyst. He can be mailed at majid.hyderi@gmail.com
