Reducing Highway Disruptions

The disruptions on Jammu-Srinagar Highway, the only road-link of Kashmir with the outside world, continue even as the authorities also relentlessly make efforts to keep it open.

Officially the thoroughfare is an all-weather road which connects J&K’s twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu. However, it has perennially been a nightmarish experience for people. The 270-km long road remains shut for days due to shooting stones, landslides, soil-erosion, frost and other weather related occurrences, not only in winter but also in other seasons.

Lately, the shooting stones at places affects the smooth traffic flow more than other impediments. The traffic disruptions on strategic road cause economic losses.

On July 19, the Chief Secretary took a review of the highway and urged upon the officers to ensure smooth movement of traffic on the highway.

He took cognizance of the issues including improving the gradient of the road at many places between Ramban and Banihal, removal of muck, widening of carriageway at identified spots, designating the truck holding areas, and completing the 2nd tube of Ramban flyover and progress on Banihal bypass.

He rightly underscored the need of taking strict action against the “chronically” slow moving vehicles. The concerned department must ensure there is no compromise on lane discipline and road side parking of vehicles.

Given the rains, the road is bound to see more disruptions in days to come. The problem is not new and there have been efforts recently to find answers by those who are at the helm to the question that the people have been asking for decades now: “how long would these closures, and disruptions, happen on the highway.”

Importantly, the Chief Secretary stressed that the weather vagaries should not let the road get closed except for a few hours till it is cleared and should be thrown open for traffic expeditiously.

As such the executing agencies must ensure that the men and machinery remain ready at all the critical stretches of the thoroughfare so that there is no undue traffic halt.

One would expect the construction work along the highway to be accelerated along with erecting the defences at various places to prevent the shooting stones from blocking the thoroughfare. There is hope that all measures would be taken by the authorities to stop the nightmarish experience by commuters and that too with reasonable dispatch.

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