Discrimination against Jammu is a long standing complaint of the people of this region. The State Government always took recourse to denial of the accusation. However, it never constituted a committee of inquiry to find out whether discrimination was done or not. Leaving aside that narrative for the time being, the more disturbing fact is that Jammu leadership has not been less discriminative against itself. Vested interests of various groups, politicians, businessmen, non-state actors and others have done Jammu more harm at various levels and through various factors.
Jammu traffic condition is bursting on the seams because for last one decade or more nothing has been substantially done to improve and change the traffic congestion in the city. The roads remain same and are not widened, encroachment of pavements is not cleared, violation of traffic rules is not controlled, vehicular emission pollutes the air and long traffic jams have become a nightmare. Flyovers are the latest remedy to overcome this problem. Some time back the State Government had decided to build three very important and urgent flyovers in the city at most congested spots. These were from Shakuntala Cinema to Ambphalla, Ambphalla to New Plots-Sarwal Morh and from Jewel Chowk to Canal. In fact these three sites remain the most congested traffic points causing frequent jams. Survey of these stretches was made and these were approved. But at the end of the day, the Government under some influence, scuttled the scheme and instead took up 90 crore project of constructing a flyover from Bikram Chowk to Gandhi Nagar, which is now in progress. This disastrous decision appears to have been made under pressure from political class and other vested interests. As prestigious land would have been acquired if Shakuntala – Ambphalla flyover was sanctioned and the land is reported to have been illegally occupied by the present owners, they mounted political pressure on the Government and got the entire scheme scuttled. In the same way, business class in Jewel area smelt that flyover from Jewel to Canal could jeopardize their business interests also mounted pressure and got the flyover project scuttled least caring what the ground situation of traffic jam is.
It is not difficult to infer that vested interest has led to a decision that is disastrous for the people of Jammu. The Bikram Chowk flyover could have waited whereas the need of other two flyovers is absolutely unavoidable. This is why we say that Jammu leadership has been more discriminative against itself than the State leadership. The flyovers from Shakuntala to New Plots and from Jewel to Canal are absolutely unavoidable and extraordinarily urgent. The State Government should not and cannot wait for a single day in sanctioning the two flyovers and work should begin on these within days.
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