Subway to unclog Srinagar’s Jahangir Chowk-Airport road

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, November 12

The state government has decided to construct a subway to decongest the Jahangir Chowk-Airport road.

“The city traffic authorities and superintending engineer of the Public Works Department have been asked to visit the Barzulla bridge and submit a report about the feasibility of an underpass for the movement of traffic,” reads a communication from the office of Baseer Khan, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir.

Also, to avoid traffic jams due to wrong parking, the authorities have identified 28 parking slots in Srinagar.

The Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar, and the SSP (Traffic) have been directed to visit the identified parking slots and submit the report about their feasibility within two days. The directions came at a meeting of officials called by Khan to explore the avenues of parking facilities in Srinagar.

The SSP (Traffic) underscored the immediate need for the improvement of the Qamarwari road to decongest roads in north Kashmir.

Khan directed the Public Works Department to immediately take up the improvement work and complete it within a week. He also directed the Chief Engineer, Electric and RE wing, Kashmir, to shift the electric poles which were in the middle of a road in the Bemina locality for ensuring smooth movement of traffic.

He also directed the city administration to organise awareness camps and orient the general public about the right way of parking vehicles.

The measures are being taken as the city faces a recurring problem of traffic logjams and unavailability of parking spaces.

Srinagar lacks parking facilities for its 2.61 lakh vehicles, which forces residents to park vehicles on the roadside. The Traffic Police carried out a major drive against traffic violators this week and booked 934 vehicle owners in Karan Nagar, Lal Chowk, HSHS and Jehangir Chowk. It also asked residents to desist from wrong and obstructive parking.

Over the past few years, the city administration has made various plans to ease traffic, but has so far failed to effectively deal with the problem.

28 parking slots identified

• To avoid traffic jams due to wrong parking, the authorities have identified 28 parking slots in Srinagar
• The DC, Srinagar, and the SSP (Traffic) have been directed to visit the identified parking slots and submit the report about their feasibility within two days