SRINAGAR: Growing traffic congestion on the Sonwar–Shivpora stretch in Srinagar has emerged as a major concern for commuters, with students and residents urging authorities to take immediate measures to ease the worsening bottleneck on one of the city’s busiest routes.
The congestion is particularly severe for commuters travelling from South Kashmir to Srinagar, where traffic frequently slows to a crawl after reaching the city limits. Motorists often take nearly an hour to cross the stretch between Shivpora and the UNO Office area due to heavy traffic, affecting students, patients, government employees, businesspersons and ambulance services.
As Srinagar serves as Kashmir’s principal administrative, educational and healthcare centre, thousands of people travel to the city daily for work, studies and medical treatment. Commuters say the persistent traffic jams result in significant delays, causing students to miss classes and examinations, employees to reach offices late and patients to face difficulties in accessing healthcare facilities.
Residents said the congestion continues throughout the day and often extends late into the evening. Traffic snarls are reportedly visible even around 10 pm, while the evening rush hour witnesses long queues of vehicles stretching from the UNO Office area to Shivpora as commuters return to South Kashmir.
The issue is particularly striking as the affected corridor lies within one of Srinagar’s prominent VIP zones in the Lal Chowk constituency. The area houses the residences of several senior government functionaries, including the Chief Minister’s residence at Gupkar, located a short distance from the congestion-prone stretch.
During consultations on possible solutions, infrastructure and traffic experts suggested that construction of a new bridge linking Shivpora and Rajbagh could provide a long-term remedy. According to experts, the proposed bridge would divert a substantial volume of traffic towards Rajbagh and significantly reduce pressure on the existing Sonwar–Shivpora corridor.
Experts estimate that the intervention could cut traffic congestion in the area by up to 50 per cent.
Students and commuters have appealed to the government and concerned authorities to prioritise the issue, warning that thousands of productive hours are being lost daily while ambulances carrying patients often remain trapped in traffic, posing serious challenges to public welfare.
