The failure to complete the construction of the Jehangir Chowk-Ram Bagh flyover is taking a toll on traffic in the city as the administration has adopted another faulty plan to deal with the issue.
The latest diversion plan, which became effective last week, has shut a key road and pushed the vehicular traffic through the narrow lanes of Batamaloo.
According to the new plan, the Jehangir Chowk-Naaz Cinema road, which is the feeder road for traffic coming from south, has been shut for the two-way traffic. Instead, the traffic movement has been diverted through Allochi Bagh-Cargo crossing-Magarmal Bagh.
The diversion is meant for passenger and private vehicles coming from Baghat, Sanat Nagar and Rawalpora localities and also from parts of south Kashmir.
Basant Rath, IGP, Traffic, described the diversion at Jehangir Chowk as “a compulsion” and passed the buck to the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) for failing to clear vendors from nearby roads. “The vendors have created a mess on the Amira Kadal-HSHS-Maharaja Bazar-LD Hospital stretch. The SMC needs to clear the mess,” he said.
City residents described the new traffic plan as faulty as it diverted the traffic through narrow interior lanes of a residential locality.
“It used to take me 40 minutes to reach home from my office at Hyderpora. Now it takes me two hours,” a resident of Nishat said. Residents of other localities have made similar complaints.
The state administration has said the diversion plan would remain in force till the construction of the flyover is complete. The construction of the 2.41-km Jehangir Chowk-Ram Bagh flyover, which has been going on for five years, remains incomplete.
The foundation of the express corridor flyover connecting the city’s vital Jehangir Chowk with the Ram Bagh locality was laid in September 2013 by then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The 2.41-km flyover was expected to be constructed at a cost of Rs 351 crore and its first deadline was September 2015.
Diversion plan proves failure
- The Jehangir Chowk-Naaz Cinema road, which is the feeder road for traffic coming from the southern part of the city, has been shut for the two-way traffic
- The latest diversion plan, which became effective last week, has shut a key road and pushed the vehicular traffic through the narrow lanes of Batamaloo
- The state administration has said the diversion plan will remain in force till the construction of the Jehangir Chowk-Ram Bagh flyover is complete
- The construction of the 2.41-km flyover, which has been going on for five years, remains incomplete
