KL Report
SRINAGAR
At a time when the state government is trying hard to streamline the traffic mess in Jammu and Kashmir, lack of coordination among various government agencies contributes significantly to traffic mismanagement in J&K.
According to sources in the traffic department, there are a number of agencies which indirectly contribute to the ills of the traffic management by not taking traffic authorities on board before taking up different works. These include departments like Telecom, Public Health Engineering, Power Development and Urban Environment and Engineering etc, they said.
Sources in the Traffic Department told a local news agency, KNS that the agencies never consult the Traffic Department before undertaking such works, making it difficult for the traffic cops to regulate traffic along the affected roads.”
The Traffic Department believes that the executing agencies take a lot of time to execute works, notwithstanding the public inconvenience in the wake of traffic jams.
“At several places in Srinagar, Islamabad, Kulgam, Baramulla etc several roads have been under construction and left open, risking the lives of pedestrians and drivers. If there was coordination among different agencies, things would have been quite smooth and manageable. But unfortunately every department does things as per its wishes. Nobody is bothered about the public convenience,” said a traffic police official.
“Kashmir is famous throughout the world for its hospitality, beauty, and charming weather, but defunct traffic system remains a big concern here. The tourist inflow is increasing, but we still do not have any innovative and comprehensive road mechanism policy for efficient traffic management. Administration needs to ensure perfect coordination amongst various allied agencies in advance to overcome this problem”, said a government official while talking to KNS.
