Srinagar, June 21: In addition to mounting vehicular pressure, lack of coordination among various government agencies contribute significantly to traffic mismanagement in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in the twin cities of Srinagar and Jammu.
 According to the J&K Traffic Department, there are a number of agencies which indirectly contribute to the ills of the traffic management. “These include departments like Telecom, Public Health Engineering, Power Development and Urban Environment and Engineering etc.,” writes the former inspector general of police (Traffic), Muhammad Amin Shah, in the Trafficinfo 2010, the Department’s annual publication.
 The agencies, he writes, while executing their respective jobs “unilaterally” cut roads and embankments adding to the miseries of road users.
 Sources in the Traffic Department said the agencies “never consult” the Traffic Department before undertaking such works, making it difficult for the traffic cops to regulate traffic along the affected roads. “Nigeen and Lal Bazar roads in Srinagar are a typical example of lack of coordination among the agencies including the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (LAWDA). Normally one of the roads should have been dug up first to ensure smooth flow of traffic via the other. But both roads were dug up simultaneously, leading to immense traffic jam on these vital links,” they said.
 The Traffic Department believes that the executing agencies take a lot of time to execute works, notwithstanding the public inconvenience in the wake of traffic jams. “It has been six years since the LAWDA started work on Nigeen drain, but the project is still incomplete. We have to bear the brunt of LAWDA’s incompetence and failure to execute the project in time. Students of Kashmir University and National Institute of Technology are late to the institutions daily because of the traffic jam near Nigeen. And then it is affecting the devotees to Hazratbal Shrine who are unable to offer prayers in time,” said a traffic cop on duty near Nigeen.
 At several places in the twin cities of Srinagar and Jammu, several roads have been dug up and left open, risking the lives of pedestrians and drivers. “Was there coordination among different agencies, things would have been quite smooth and manageable. But unfortunately every department does things as per its wishes. Nobody is bothered about the public convenience,” said a traffic police official.
 The Traffic Department has called for a “well-coordinated programme” to ensure smooth conduct of works for traffic regulation. “Where possible, such works can be undertaken/executed simultaneously under a well coordinated programme. Divisional administration needs to ensure perfect coordination amongst various allied agencies in advance to overcome this problem,” writes Muhammad Amin Shah, adding the two Divisional Commissioners in Jammu and Kashmir divisions had a pivotal position in the traffic management structure. “They prepare the road plans and get them executed, play the key roles in the acquisition of land for road building, dismantling the traffic blockading structures etc in an endeavor to streamline the road traffic.”

Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:00:00 IST