Srinagar: Failure of authorities to repair dilapidated road at Nowpora area here poses risk of accidents.
The entire stretch of road from Khayam to Nowpora is dotted with potholes. Today passenger of a bus had a narrow escape as a dilapidated road caved in and the vehicle was stuck in it for hours.
The driver of the bus said the vehicle got stuck in a pothole. He said that on a daily basis, public and private vehicle owners have narrow escape due to dilapidated condition of the road.
“We have been stuck on the spot for hours now. As I was carrying passengers along Khayam Chowk, the bus got stuck in a pothole. There has been drainage construction in the area, but the road was never fixed or leveled which is why the bus sank in the uneven road. We managed to rescue passengers, and now we are trying to get the bus out. This could have caused a major mishap,” said the driver.
The locals said that the dilapidated Nowpore-Khayam road stretch has become a never-ending problem for them. They said that on a daily basis, there are traffic jams, and vehicles often get stuck in potholes risking lives of passengers.
“These uneven roads with huge potholes are a major cause of traffic jams and road accidents in this area. Smooth flow of traffic will be possible only when these roads will be fixed,” said Farooq Ahmad, a local.
Locals said amid the multiple Smart City projects in the city centre, authorities are turning a blind eye towards the dilapidated roads in this part of the city, which is taking a toll on them.
In a recent conversation with the reporter, CEO, Srinagar Smart City Limited, Athar Aamir Khan, told Greater Kashmir that since they have completed many projects in the city center, their focus will be now shifted towards downtown, including Khayam. However, locals said that nothing is being done on the ground as the dilapidated roads are becoming a death trap for commuters and pedestrians.
