Srinagar, Dec 11: Traffic mess on the City roads is feared to further as restoration of traffic signals is facing more of power problems. After erratic power supply, poor voltage has added to the energy issues, which left the much-hyped electronic system defunct since the start of the winter.

150-VOLT SHOCK
 Sources said government had called a team of experts to find out as to why the traffic signals were not working properly. While preliminary investigations revealed that erratic power supply was playing spoilsport, the in-depth analysis has pointed out that poor voltage was main reason for the system breakdown.
 Experts are understood to have informed the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and the Traffic Police that the input was most often not more than 150 volts against the expected 220 volts.
 “The electronic gadgets do not work properly in so low voltage,” the experts have suggested.

ILL PLANNING
 It seems that administration had a myopic vision in installation of traffic signals that it could not foresee the power issues, often common to Srinagar, particularly in winters.
 Observers said the traffic signals should not have been installed without proper voltage stabilizers which could withstand low voltage common to the Valley.

THE LOCK-HORNS
 For now the private firm which installed the traffic signals  is understood to have locked horns with the government over voltage stabilizer installation.
 While the government has asked the agency to get the voltage stabilizers installed of their own, the business people have pleaded that the issue was not a part of the contract. Amid the deadlock, the traffic signal system has collapsed.

THE CHAOS
 For now, from the City centre of Lal Chowk to Ram Bagh, the traffic chaos is witnessed almost everywhere as the signals either keep blinking orange or are dead altogether.
  This triggers jams with vehicles getting stuck in long queues. Trying to make regulation easy, the traffic police has sealed some of the crossings thereby making drivers take long drives for taking turns. But amid all this, horrific traffic jams are witnessed.

THE POOR POWER
 For the past three years the City is facing erratic power supply while the problem this year looks worst. Public anger, on the other hand, is growing against the ruling National Conference led government for having “deteriorated the power supplies.”
 “Till three years back we would get uninterrupted power supply but now we get mere 10 hours of poor voltage a day,” said residents of Pir Bagh, metered for a decade.

THE CONFESSION
Two months back, on the floor of the house, Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand admitted that the poor power supply was affecting the traffic signals. But till now there has been no breakthrough as the Power Development Department (PDD) is yet to give a dedicated power supply to the traffic signals while poor voltage is another trouble.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 11 Dec 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 IST