Ministers, bureaucrats and higher echelons of administrative structure are seldom caught up in the traffic mess of the two capital cities. When they have to pass, entire traffic police force is alerted and they manage the road traffic so smooth as to let the VIPs pass without hassles and without the tyranny of a long wait or detouring through circuitous roads. They are among the ruling class and as such they will never understand what is meant by traffic jam and its consequences. Had they any idea of what the ordinary men and women in the two capital cities are going through on account of traffic jams of and on, they would not sleep over the schemes and plans contemplated by the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister for overcoming this perennial problem.
It is not that the popular Government is not aware of the need of bringing about some drastic changes in the existing city traffic. It is more than aware and has already brought this issue under focus. Years ago City Mobility Plan for the twin cities of Jammu and Srinagar had been formulated with the objective of decongesting the city traffic, widening the roads and streets, removing encroachments, improving signaling system and imparting traffic education among the people. Not only that even the idea of establishing a Traffic Engineering Institute was also on the cards.
State Government had assigned the task of preparing a comprehensive City Mobility Plan for the twin cities to a reputed firm namely M/s RITES Ltd, a Government of India Enterprise. This firm conducted comprehensive study and made an elaborate report in connection with changing the complexion of the city traffic in two cities. Several meetings were held at different times by the officials but no practical movement forward was visible. The project remained consigned to the files and the officers took it easy oblivious of what the public had to suffer on account of endless muddle in the road traffic. It appears that lawlessness is the rule of the day because none of the components of road traffic is functioning. Traffic police is lackluster, encroachers are enjoying a holiday, mini bus drivers are law unto themselves, traffic jams have become a sight for the entertainment of the people, nobody even thinks of widening the roads and streets under a plan to ease Mobility jams and fatal road accidents are not considered of any significant attention. This is the ground situation. The Chief Minister has in several meetings emphasized on the administration that the City Mobility Plan is taken up seriously for implementation. Unfortunately, her advice falls flat on the ears of bureaucracy and concerned authorities.
It is pertinent to mention that M/s RITES Ltd in Comprehensive City Mobility Plan has flagged critical infrastructure needs for upgrading mobility within the cities keeping in view the traffic growth and consequent challenges up to 2030. It has suggested implementation of mass transport system like monorail, bus rapid transport system and in-land waterways transport system, development of parking spaces and widening of roads. In a meeting held early this year the Deputy Chief Minister had emphasized that study in the feasibility of the project of monorail for the twin cities should be undertaken. Eight months have gone by and not a blade of grass has moved in this direction. There is total apathy at the administrative level towards carrying out the instructions of the Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister. This is very disappointing situation that the administration is unable to assert and make things go. Be it the removal of encroachments or widening plans of streets, be it the fixing up of road signals and posting of traffic police, there is a deep network of people with vested interests. Take the case of mini buses plying in Jammu city. How many complaints against the playing of loud music or obscene songs and posters and overcrowding of buses and misbehavior of the drivers and conductors with the commuters etc have been reported? We don’t think even a single complaint has been rectified. We have so often reflected on city traffic conditions and brought public complaints to the notice of the concerned authorities but the result is totally disappointing and discouraging. If the monorails project is undertaken what will happen to the minibus owners who are making fast bucks?
We would like to bring it to the notice of the Government that if a concerted and serious effort of improving and modernizing the city traffic is not undertaken, there will be a time when both capital cities will meet with traffic crisis. Before that happens, the Government must wake up and respond to the report of the M/s RITES Ltd.
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