The Srinagar-Baramulla highway has developed potholes at several locations in the outskirts of Baramulla town which has turned the highway into a “cesspool”.
The highway witnesses frequent traffic jams at several spots due to the deep potholes giving a tough time to the commuters plying their cars on the highway.
“The commuters have to slow down the speed of their cars to pass through these potholes which causes unnecessary traffic jams at these spots. It takes at least five minutes to cross these spots due to the jam,” said Muhammad Irfan, a regular commuter on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway.
One such spot is near Petrol Pump Kanispora where the commuters have to go through unnecessary traffic jams as the path on the highway has developed deep potholes since last year.
“The spot has developed these potholes since last year but the administration has failed to repair the patch for the convenience of the commuters. Every day we have to go through a chaotic situation while passing this spot,” he said.
The patch on the highway remains drenched in water throughout the year as the concerned department has failed to repair the roadside drains.
“During winter months, this spot becomes fatal. The water accumulated on the highway remains frozen due to which the vehicles turn turtle many a times,” said Sameer Ahmad, another commuter of Baramulla town.
As the patch remains drenched in water, it develops pot holes and nobody bothers about the repairs. “Because of these spots on the highway, our journey becomes hectic,” Ahmad said.
Kanispora is not the only spot where commuters face inconvenience.
A 100-200 feet patch near Tappar Bus Stop is another spot which has developed potholes.
The spot witnesses massive traffic jams on a daily basis.
“One cannot pass through these potholes at high speed. We have to slow down the speed to drive over these potholes. If anyone passes with high speed over these potholes it causes severe damage to the vehicle,” said Faisal Bhat of Sopore.
The highway has other such patches near Tehsil Office Pattan, main market and Mirgund which are in bad conditions and have not been repaired by the concerned authorities for past several years.
“It has been more than a year but the authorities have not taken any step to repair these patches. The authorities should keep the highway in a better condition to make the journey smooth,” he said.
Joint Director Planning Baramulla, Muhammad Yousuf Rather accepted that the commuters were facing inconveniences due to potholes on the highway.
“The district administration has taken cognisance of the issue and a team of officers has been constituted to work out the plans for permanent repairs of these spots,” he said.
Rather said that the work to repair these spots would be started within two to three days.
“The work got halted as some of the officials who are in the team tested positive for COVID-19 but the restoration work of these patches will be started early,” he said.