Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Nov 6: With failure of the Government to find an everlasting solution to the problem, the Jammu city is facing worst ever traffic chaos at present.
Though move offices have not started functioning yet in Jammu, the long duration traffic jams are being witnessed daily on various routes. The situation can deteriorate further with the opening of move offices and addition of thousands of vehicles after that as well as coming Diwali festival which is round the corner, say experts.
Huge traffic jams of long duration are witnessed on Janipur road especially near Main Stop in the evening and High Court Chowk in the morning peak hours putting the people to many hardships. The traffic police have failed to show results due to increasing rush of the vehicles on the road which has shrunk due to increasing encroachments.
SSP Traffic, Mohan Lal cited closure of Sarwal road for vehicular traffic as one of the causes for the same saying entire traffic of Sarwal route has been shifted via Janipur. However experts do not accept that this can be the only reason as prior to the closure of Sarwal road to vehicular traffic due to laying of sewerage pipes, the long duration traffic jams were witnessed on this road earlier also.
“There is no check even on vehicles by Traffic Police especially matadors, some of which are run without papers as there is a nexus between the matador operators and Traffic Police. These matador drivers have maintained monopoly and stop their vehicles at any place where they like due to lack of check and action by Traffic Police on the same. This is also one of the causes of traffic jams in the City,” they added.
The Traffic Police cops were seen regulating the traffic during VIP movement and they don’t bother for the common masses.
Improper functioning of traffic signals was also one of the cause of traffic mess in the city as there is no check on their proper functioning. Some times vehicles break signal also which can prove dangerous also. Moreover bad condition of roads in the city and its outskirts as cited an one more cause for traffic snarls in Jammu as Government has failed to renovate the roads in Jammu which are totally in dilapidated condition.
The experts feel that situation can worsen further after move office reopen in Jammu from next week and due to incoming Diwali festival as there will be huge rush of people in Jammu markets for making Diwali purchasing.
Moreover, there is no check on plying of two wheelers by youth as maximum of them don’t have licenses. They run the two wheelers rashly, which often results into fatal accidents. Most of them are teenagers who put their as well as others lives to grave risk. Knowing fully this the Traffic Police fails to curb their movement and seize their vehicles,” experts said.
The other cause of the traffic jams as per experts is encroachments of the roads, lack of proper traffic sense, mismanagement and failure of the Government to widen the roads and maintain two lane system etc.
Total traffic chaos is witnessed on Akhnoor road at various places right from Canal to Domana. The main reason for the same is mushrooming of marriage halls and private schools on this road as per experts. During the school timing in the morning and school break in the afternoon, traffic jams are often witnessed on this road and the queues of vehicles up to miles are seen there putting people to lot of trouble. Besides, traffic mess is witnessed on this road in the day time and night hours during marriage seasons also.
The jams are regular on this road from Paloura to Muthi, Barnai to Patoli and Domana as dozen private schools and marriage halls have come up on this road. The rush of traffic increases constantly during school timing and marriage seasons creating impediments in free movement of traffic, say experts.
Talab Tillo -Bohri road and Janipur to Ambphalla road are other two routes on which traffic jams are witnessed during peak hours but the authorities have failed to take cognizance of the same and find out alternative measures.
The experts assigned various reasons for the present traffic mess in city roads and one of the main problem is mushrooming of schools and marriage halls near the city roads in different areas and the encroachments of roads. Besides, narrow roads whose position did not change over decades, encroachments made by hawkers, shopkeepers on various city roads has also compounded the problem as the half of portion of the roads encroached by them with the result the traffic police feels it difficult to regulate the traffic as the concerned departments responsible for removing the encroachments have failed to take cognizance of the same.
During the peak hours the Akhnoor road remains closed for hours and the people have now become used to this problem as they see that there is no solution in sight for the same.
The situation will improve only after the encroachments are removed. Besides, failure to construct the proper parking lots to tackle the need in the city has also compounded the problem and there is no early solution to sight, say experts.
As per the official sources, the number of vehicles increases by 60,000 every year in Jammu and during winter there is also addition of over 50,000 vehicles while the position of roads has not changed for decades and it continues to remain the same resulting in frequent traffic jams.
Sources said that there are 7,50000 vehicles registered with RTO Jammu and every year this number increases by 60,000 vehicles.
When contacted, SSP Traffic Mohan Lal said that the Department has taken the issue of encroachments with the authorities of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and hopefully action will be taken soon. The JMC has already launched an anti encroachment drive in some areas and we are on the job to get encroachments removed from all roads.
He said problem of Akhnoor road is due to mushrooming of marriage halls and schools and the Department is trying to find out the ways and means to tackle this problem also.
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