Kullan-Gagengar road in dilapidated condition
The road leading to famous tourist destination Sonamarg in Ganderbal district is in dilapidated condition causing inconvenience to the commuters. Thousands of people travel on this busy road which lies on the Srinagar-Leh highway.
Locals said that the road stretch of 10 kilometres mostly from Kulan village upto Gagengar tourist village is in shabby conditions and remains dotted with potholes causing inconvenience to commuters travelling on the road. The travel on this road has become arduous and cumbersome for passengers as the road is dotted with potholes. “Our vehicles suffer extensive damage due to the poor road condition and we have to send them for repairs quite often,” the drivers said, adding the concerned officials should do anything substantial about the road repairs. The passengers have also complained of dust pollution on the highway and said it had also resulted in serious health complications in certain persons allergic to dust. “The dust raised from these potholes has also become a pollution source causing further inconvenience to the travelers,” they said. They said that the heavy machinery used in the tunnel construction work which uses the road has further deteriorated it making it unfit for plying. The vehicle drivers carrying tourists to Sonamarg have also expressed disappointment over the road leading to the tourist destination. The drivers said that Beacon authorities or the tunnel authorities should pay attention to the road and start repair and maintenance work for the convenience of the travelers.
Frequent traffic jams give tough time to commuters in Ganderbal
Commuters continue to face a tough time due to regular and frequent traffic jams in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. “Frequent traffic jams at the Nagbal-Beehama stretch and Beehama-Duderhama cause immense problems to people including employees and students. Even ambulances are frequently stuck in traffic jams here putting lives of patients at risk,” said a group of commuters. Pertinently, despite tall claims, authorities have failed to streamline traffic at the intersection. Due to the delay in road widening, unending traffic congestion occurs daily that lasts for hours.
The problem mainly occurs from the SP office to Beehama Chowk and Tawheed chowk. “Frequent unending traffic jams have drastically affected our lives and business. The worst affected are the government employees and students,” locals told Greater Kashmir. The menace of regular traffic jams consumes the precious time of students also. “We never reach school in time due to the frequent traffic jams”, Ishfaq Manzoor a student said.
The locals said that at many places the road along Nagbal-Beehama stretch is too narrow, which also compounds the problem. “We appeal to the higher authorities to look into the matter and address our grievances,” they added. The locals further said that with hardly any functional parking slot in the town here, the parked vehicles occupy the roads, leading to chaos and frequent traffic jams at the district headquarters.