Srinagar, Apr 1: Traffic diversion at Badyari Chowk here is taking a heavy toll on commuters who accuse authorities of failing to start traffic light system at the busy intersection.
Most of the commuters said the closure of one of the lanes of crossing vehicles bound towards Boulevard from main Dalgate causes inconvenience to them. Commuters bound for Boulevard from Lal Chowk have to take u-turn near Khonakhan bridge. This also blocks vehicular movement from Downtown towards Dalgate and leads to gridlocks at Khayam and Khanyar crossings.
“Whenever i travel to my house at Nishat, I am worried about traffic mess at Badyari crossing. The unnecessary diversion at Badyari Chowk has created issues for the commuters. The diversion is only for convenience of traffic cops and nightmare for commuters,” said Ishfaq Ahmed of Nishat.
The diversion also affects movement of public transport bound for Dalgate, Gagribal, Nishat, Ishber, Shalimar and Harwan. “If the diversion at Badyari Crossing is removed, it will save time of commuters who have to cross narrow bailey bridge,” said Abdul Hamid of Dalgate.
“These days there is tourist flow and public transport is already diverted via Hazratbal route. On normal days due to fear of traffic jams. The cabs go via Gupkar leaving many passengers stranded. We understand that sometimes diversions are put to streamline the traffic, but the bottleneck at Badayari Chowk is only creating problems for passengers. We hope that the traffic department will look into it,” Adnan Mehraj, a student said.
The locals said that the issue is hindering the essential service like ambulances coming from Khanyar, Rainawari and adjoining areas.
A senior official from Traffic Police said that the reason for the diversion at Badyari Chowk is huge rush of tourists towards Tulip Garden and Mughal Gardens.
‘Diversions that are apparently hindering traffic will be removed. We will remove the diversion at Badyari Chowk soon so that traffic will directly move towards Boulevard without diversion. We will do everything to streamline the traffic for the convenience of locals,” said the official.