Srinagar traffic congestion

Srinagar city is facing acute traffic congestion. Situation is worsening day after day. This is despite the fact that some flyovers have been built and road widening of the NH-1A has also been in progress.  But the population of the city is increasing and the number of private vehicles is also increasing with leaps and bounds. Maybe that indicates economic growth and stability among the people.
The real reason of traffic congestion in the city is caused by converting residential quarters and houses into commercial units for big malls, show rooms and hotels and restaurants. The posh areas of Srinagar city, namely Jawhar Nagar, Raj Bagh, Karan Nagar, Bal Garden, Shuthra Shahi and Amira Kadal had suffered maximum damage to residential houses during the floods of September 2014. The task of reconstruction and rebuilding was taken up fast and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation allotted nearly 1100 permissions for raising structures of residential purposes in  these areas. But people converted these residential structures into commercial structures and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation failed to prevent these conversions at proper time. The problem is that there is no parking pace anywhere and parking of vehicles by the road side is an obstruction to smooth flow of traffic. Unless some central multi-storeyed parking lots are built, the issue of parking in these posh colonies will not be solved.
The Srinagar Master Plan was drawn in 2001 and does not fit the requirement of 2016 or 2020. That Master Plan is a scrap, unscientific and not modern at all. Therefore nobody gives that plan any importance. A new Master Plan has to be drawn which will cater to the needs of present day society. The fact of the matter is that no planning norms have been adhered to while sanctioning construction of thousands of structures in Srinagar. It is lack of planning and as long as it is allowed to go unchecked Srinagar can not wriggle out of congestion.

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