which is a prerequisite for a functioning economy and social life. The insult to injury is latest colourful fountain spree! The daily public decry about bad roads is a constant reminder that this  patch work of macadamization does not solve anyone’s problems. To me it sounds like the cure is worse than the disease. It is a hunter-gatherer approach not like planning an apple tree. It seems like the people governing us don’t have a clear vision for the city.
Gwendolyn Hallsmith opines: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results.”
Government investment in infrastructure to be, above all, needs a thoughtful plan. This issue is greater than just determining whether it’s a good idea to macadamize our roads; it demonstrates there isn’t one cohesive plan for Srinagar.
How can Srinagar move forward without a strong vision of what is in the best interest of the city?
Today transportation is an essential ingredient of almost everything mankind does to supply itself with the necessities of life. A sound road network is an essential ingredient of our economic and social well-being.
Transport is a critical input for industries and other socio-economic objectives usually set outside the transport context. The availability of a rapid, safe and healthy transport system in a city is an essential aspect of the welfare of citizens.
Comprehensive road network inventory indicates that Srinagar despite having more than one million population has 3/4th of its road network less than 7.0m wide and only 15 percent of the road network has carriageway 14.0m or more. The area under traffic and transportation is only 3.0 percent of the developed area.  
Ironically, while for tourists the city is a picture-perfect destination, residents have to cope with the other, not so beautiful, side of the picture.
Srinagar, The queen of Kashmir’s tourist destinations is not untouched by the damaging effects of burgeoning population and limited resources.  The city is plagued by haphazard growth and is becoming less and less attractive for living.  
Srinagar has crossed the 1 million population figure in population increasing from 4.57 lakhs in 1971 to 6..06 in 1981and 11.10 lakhs in 2001. It is estimated to be between 13.5 lakh to 15 lakh at present. This haphazard growth in the city, which has increased from 185 sq km to 316 sq km in area Srinagar Master Plan 2001-21 has projected the population of the Srinagar Urban Agglomeration at 23.50 lakhs for the year 2021.
The annual migration to Srinagar from rural areas has been estimated at 16 per cent, against the national urban influx percentage of nine.
The city is characterized by bottlenecks of roads, inadequate transport and consequently limited access. With increasing congestion and travel time, poor quality of public transport services translates into long commutes, frazzled nerves, wasted fuel, air pollution and of course lost time.
Massive increase in the number of private vehicles on Srinagar roads is overwhelming the transport infrastructure. Congested roads can be seen as an example of the tragedy of the commons.
If this city has to reinvent itself, then the priority will be the development of state of the art traffic infrastructure and the removal of bottlenecks on all major arterial and sub-arterial streets.

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