Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Mar 20: The Srinagar city comes to a grinding halt every afternoon as nearly 50,000 students from around 30 schools in the city Centre and Northern part of city leave at the same time, causing severe traffic congestion.
Commuters and emergency vehicles struggle to navigate the chaos, prompting calls for staggered school dispersal timings so that the issue is addressed.
In the city centre, the congestion is primarily caused by school buses and private vehicles transporting around 30,000 students from institutions such as Tyndale Biscoe, Mallinson, SP School, Kothibagh Higher Secondary, Burn Hall, Presentation Convent, Linton Hall, New Era, Oasis, and Girls’ Higher Secondary Rajbagh.
“When schools close and buses leave, we see complete traffic jams. Even bicycles struggle to pass. Ambulances have also been stuck in these jams. It takes hours for the traffic police to clear the jam,” said a local resident.
He said that till 2023, the school timings in these schools were between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm in winter and 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 pm during summer. “This used to address the traffic jams to a great extent”, he added.
Another resident pointed out the inadequacy of road infrastructure. “The roads are narrow, which worsens the jams. Schools like Tyndale Biscoe and Mallinson should stagger their dispersal by at least half an hour. Parents should also avoid bringing vehicles near schools and use designated parking areas.”
Similar traffic snarls are witnessed on the outskirts, particularly in Naseem Bagh, Hazratbal, and Elahibagh, where around a dozen schools-including Green Valley Educational Institute, R.P. School, and Kashmir Harvard, and G.D. Goenka Public School- release students simultaneously.
Authorities acknowledge the issue. Director of School Education, G.N. Itoo, said school timings are decided after considering public convenience and administrative directives. “We are working with the Divisional Commissioner and Traffic Police to address the problem. If a more appropriate timing is decided, we will implement it,” he said.
SSP Traffic Srinagar, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah, emphasized the need for changes in school closure times for schools around city Centre and in North Srinagar where traffic jams choke the city.
“The city’s road capacity is overwhelmed when students leave at once. We have requested staggered dispersal between 2:00 to 2:30 PM to avoid overlap with office hours, he said.”
He also highlighted the lack of school transport. “Parents bring their own vehicles because schools do not have sufficient transport. We have urged schools to improve their fleets and manage transportation more efficiently, he added.”
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