Tight security measures enforced due to oath-taking ceremony of the new government and Monday rush led to hours of traffic chaos in Jammu. Right from Janipur to Gandhinagar and Jewel-Canal road route thousands of vehicles were seen moving at a snails’ pace to reach their respective destinations.
As there was movement of high-profile people towards Raj Bhawan, where Mehbooba Mufti was to take oath as the first women Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, the police repeatedly stopped movement of vehicles to allow “safe travel” of invitees to the venue.
The intensity of chaos and confusion can be gauged from the fact that even traffic policemen found it difficult to clear the traffic jam and seen losing temper while trying to regulate the vehicular movement at several places.
Traffic congestion in the city is emerging as the biggest problem as over 50,000 vehicles are being added every year to the already overcrowded roads of the city.
“It took me one hour to reach Trikuta Nagar from Rehari and the flyover was blocked by heavy jam. It is a daily routine here but Mondays are always frustrating,” said Sushil Kumar, a marketing executive.
Even measures taken by the administration have failed to prevent chaos. The traffic lights have now become showpieces. Buses and Matador drivers don’t follow the lights, particularly at Bikram Chowk, Janipur, Kachi Chawni and Indira Chowk.
Unauthorised parking of the vehicles near the commercial units and on the roads are creating a lot of problems making travel difficult. The ever-increasing number of vehicles, coupled with limited road infrastructure and paucity of parking space, has been playing havoc with the traffic management in the city.
“Whatsoever was the reason for the traffic mess today, but it was very frustrating. We had to face a very rough time to reach our office. Though Monday rush hour is like that, but today we faced a lot of problems,” said Sidharth Sharma, who was among commuters trapped in a jam at New Plot.
In most of the markets there is no parking space. The JDA and JMC have given road space for parking, which is adding to the problem. It can be seen on the Residency road, which is worst affected by traffic jams daily.
Tight security measures lead to traffic chaos in Jammu during Oath Ceremony
