Haphazard parking, gridlocks mar Jammu’s Smart City dream

Arjun Shama

Jammu, December 19

Haphazard parking combined with commercialisation in residential areas is leading to severe traffic snarls in Jammu city, which is being developed under the Smart City project.

The traffic police and Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) have failed to tackle the congestion on city roads. Most of the posh localities including Gandhi Nagar, Trikuta Nagar and Channi Himmat are dealing with traffic jams, as police personnel mostly remain absent here.

The footpaths have been widened to an extent by the Jammu Smart City Ltd that little space is left for smooth traffic movement, especially in Gandhi Nagar. The locality is already witnessing violations of building bye-laws, which the Jammu MC has failed to control.

Rush of vehicles at many nursing homes and other commercial buildings in residential areas of Gandhi Nagar blocks the entire road leaving the commuters fuming with no one from the administration to address the issue.

Saket Kumar, a businessman at Last Morh area of Gandhi Nagar, says traffic jams are caused daily in the area as the traffic police has failed to act against those parking their vehicles along main roads in a wrong manner. “Traffic police should act and challan those who park their vehicles on roads so that there is a deterrence. There is also a responsibility of people towards traffic and they should not violate the norms,” said Kumar.

One of the major concerns after the development works under the Smart City project is that the commercial hub — Apsara Road — has become so narrow that it has become difficult for two vehicles to cross each other. The footpaths on the road which is dotted with commercial establishments has been widened after which the road width has decreased considerably.

Shushank Gupta, a shop owner, said earlier even when visitors parked their vehicles, there was ample space left for cars and mini buses to ply on the road. “However, it seems that the Smart City has now turned into a traffic city because of the mindless development,” he said.

The absence of smart traffic lights is another reason why traffic flow is not maintained at intersections where traffic lights are installed.