| Srinagar roads in shambles, authorities in slumber | | | Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
Srinagar, May 18: The authorities have so far failed to undertake repairs of dilapidated roads in the summer capital.
The people here said that though they visited the office of the district administration many times with the request for repairing the broken roads, their requests had fallen on deaf ears.
"The condition of most of the internal roads all over the Srinagar city is pathetic. Bad roads make it difficult to drive on certain stretches. So, every driver uses only the main road to avoid the bumpy rides on bad roads," said Habibullah of Bemina.
The road from Qamarwari, Noorbagh to Dalgate is in a bad shape, causing inconvenience to commuters, especially students and office-goers.
"Nobody in the administration bothers to take steps for repairing these bumpy roads for the smooth traffic," said a government employee.
"A distance which should be travelled in less than 40 minutes takes more than an hour because of the potholed roads of the city," said Mushtaq Ahmad, an autorickshaw driver.
The roads across the summer capital were macadamized last year. However, these could not withstand rains and developed potholes.
"The non-seriousness of the authorities can be gauged from the fact that the road from Qamarwari leading to the valley's lone tertiary care hospital, SKIMS, Soura is also in shambles. This poses risk to lives of patients who are referred there from other hospitals," said Mohmmad Ismaila, a resident of Safakadal. Last year, PDP-BJP government carried out macadamisation of some vital roads in the city. The state authorities had claimed that the blacktopping of the roads would last for at least three years, but just after ten months the roads developed potholes.
During rains, the dilapidated roads turn into cesspools. "When water remains stagnant for a long time, it further damages roads," a shopkeeper in commercial hub of Lal Chowk said, pointing towards a damaged stretch of road.
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