The time when government talks too much about improvement in civic facilities and expansion of road networks in Jammu & Kashmir, the hapless populations in most parts of Srinagar city have become vulnerable to the threats of a defunct drainage system and dilapidated roads. While dilapidated roads give tough time to people, few inches of rain in the presence of a defunct drainage system grips fear of low intensity floods in most of the areas in Srinagar city. In most of the areas the drainage facilities blocked by the worst ever floods way back in 2014 are yet to be restored and defunct drainage system in the most of the residential colonies in Srinagar city yet to repaired and rebuilt in uptown Srinagar is said to the main reason for the dilapidated condition of roads. Most of the roads left unmacadamised last year are dotted with potholes painting the picture of death traps and even roads leading to city’s main referral hospitals have been left unmacadamised last year. As roads remain water lodged most of the times during winter and rainy seasons when water accumulates in potholes, the slow traffic movement irks both the commuters and as well as the people travelling in passenger vehicles and private cars . As incessant rains head to no dead end even in the month of May this year, the condition of roads has further worsened due to Government’s focus on some key smart city projects. Consequently most of dilapidated roads in Srinagar city are not fit for driving. With the drainage wing of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) failing to restore the defunct drainage facilities in the city and Public Works (R&B) department reducing it’s work to filling of potholes with the dust during repair work, the huge mounds in the middle of the roads are becoming the cause of deadly accidents particularly on the link routes leading to residential colonies across Srinagar.
“With hapless populations in Srinagar becoming the casualty of chocked drains and dilapidated roads, the onus of repairing the defunct drains and dilapidated roads in Srinagar city is on the authorities controlling Public Works (R&B) department and drainage wing of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation”.
With hapless populations in Srinagar becoming the casualty of chocked drains and dilapidated roads, the authorities controlling Public Works (R&B) department and drainage wing of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation can’t evade queries on any further delay in repairing the defunct drains and dilapidated roads in Srinagar city.
As repair works on both drains and roads remained suspended for about last two months due to engagements of the concerned departments with the preparations for G20 meeting in Srinagar , the authorities controlling the Public Works (R&B) department and Srinagar Municipal Corporation may be planning for executing some of the works left undone till the commencement of winter in December last year . With hapless populations in Srinagar becoming the casualty of chocked drains and dilapidated roads, the onus of repairing the defunct drains and dilapidated roads in Srinagar city is on the authorities controlling Public Works (R&B) department and drainage wing of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation.