Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 9: The Jammuites have not got any respite from huge traffic jams as on the opening of Move office today, total traffic chaos prevailed in the city with people forced to remain stuck in jams at various places for hours together.
Huge traffic jams were witnessed on city roads today on the first day of opening of Move offices in Jammu. The day also coincided with Dhanteras festival and people had come out in large numbers to make purchasing.
The authorities who diverted the traffic from other roads in the city due to Congress Party rally, however, had not taken adequate measures of tackling the problem and total mess prevailed in the city.
The main reason for the traffic mess in the city is due to failure of the Government to widen the roads, remove the encroachments, maintain a proper check on halting of matadors etc.
The worst ever traffic jams were witnessed on Akhnoor road, New Plots, Ambphalla, Rehari, Janipur road, Bhagwati Nagar-Canal road, Talab Tillo, Bohri road etc with Traffic Police looking as a mute spectator. This evoked a widespread public resentment. What has irked the people most is that no policemen or a jawan of Traffic Police or local police was even seen on the roads to regulate the traffic especially during the peak hours.
The chaotic traffic conditions took such a critical turn that some people who had left their homes for Diwali purchasing or a medical check up to a doctor had to return half way as there was huge jam everywhere. Even the doctors failed to report to their clinics in time as they were also trapped in traffic jam.
Though authorities were already sounded about the gravity of situation taking place after opening of Darbar as well as the coming festivals like Diwali, Dhanteras, Vishwakarma and Bhaiya Dhuj they failed to take pre-emptive measures to regulate the traffic on city roads resulting into lot of problems to people.
The greatest problem which is seen as the major cause of road block or traffic jam is parking of matadors in the middle of road at various places for lifting and alighting of passengers and despite this issue highlighted by various agencies a number of times the Traffic Police seems to be sleeping over the issue.
The people of Jammu while expressing their dismay have made an appeal to both Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh to look into the problem which is compounding day by day and take remedial measures on priority basis by widening city roads and construction of flyovers whereever necessary.
Holding mismanagement and lack of proper planning responsible for the traffic jam in Jammu, a group of people who were trapped in a long jam at Bhagwati Nagar said what is the fun of constructing this fourth bridge at river Tawi when there is no road ahead for plying of traffic.
Crores of rupees were spent on the construction of the bridge and this money has gone waste as the vehicles plying via this bridge towards city, Talab Tillo or Akhnoor get trapped for hours together in jam as neither the road via Bhagwati Nagar to Canal nor Bhagwati Nagar to Gole Gujral- Talab Tillo have been widened.
Moreover, no attention is paid towards the functioning of traffic signals which work at some chowks while remain defunct at other places.
Follow our WhatsApp channel