Faizan Ahmad
Srinagar Jan 7: After resumption of flight operations at Srinagar airport on Thursday, there was chaos and confusion at the Srinagar Airport with the travelers caught in long traffic jams and walking on foot to reach the airport to take flights.
Flight operations at the Srinagar airport resumed today after remaining suspended for four days due to heavy snowfall.
However, it was a hectic day for travelers due to mismanagement of the authorities.
The snow had accumulated on both sides of airport road and authorities failed to clear the snow from the road. It led to traffic mess since the morning.
Many travelers including the tourists walked on foot to airport with their luggage in cold wave conditions, others were stuck at airport or in traffic jam for hours.
Insha Jan, one of travelers arrived at Srinagar Airport at 1 pm from Chandigarh. However, till 7 pm she was stuck at the airport.
“My brother had come to pick up me at 1 pm but he was stuck in traffic jam outside the airport gate for six hours. There is total mess. I was standing outside airport for six hours,” Insha said.
“I can’t walk because I am carrying a luggage. We are still inside airport premises,” she said.
She was yet to come out from outer gate when this report was filed.
Another passenger who returned from Delhi arrived at Srinagar airport at 12:30 pm.
“We reached to outer gate at 6:45 pm. Nobody is concerned about us. My 10-year-old son did not eat anything since morning because we are stuck in traffic jam,” said Mohammad Shafi, a businessman.
He said there were no officials to facilitate the traffic movement on the airport road.
The videos of travelers with their luggage walking on foot went viral on social media today.
An official of Traffic Department said there were massive traffic jams across Srinagar due to non-clearance of snow.
“This is for first time that such massive traffic jam was witnessed outside airport,” he said. (KINS)
