The perennial traffic chaos in Jammu is not just a result of increasing vehicular numbers or infrastructural limitations-it’s a direct consequence of half-hearted planning and dismal execution of urban policies. Despite having the Jammu Master Plan 2032 as a strategic blueprint for urban transformation, the city is languishing in neglect, trapped in a cycle of ambitious declarations and ground-level inaction. At the heart of this dysfunction is the mismatch between vision and execution. The Master Plan envisioned a systematic decentralisation of the city’s functions, proposing the shifting of Government offices out of the congested old city areas. These vacated spaces were to be reimagined for public use-parking lots, green spaces, pedestrian corridors, and urban amenities. Instead of relocation, many old office premises have been redeveloped, violating the very spirit of planned decongestion.
The situation is even more disheartening when it comes to the enforcement of basic civic laws. Encroachments have not only remained unchecked but have also flourished. Roads that once accommodated city buses and ration trucks can now barely allow a two-wheeler to pass without manoeuvring through illegal extensions, street vendors, and parked vehicles. Footpaths are either nonexistent due to encroachments or, ironically, designed as wide, high, raised structures, which neither serve pedestrians nor facilitate roadside parking-two vital components of a liveable city. One would expect a city aiming to be ‘smart’ to focus on regulating its traffic through scientific planning. But here, even the basics are missing. E-rickshaws, while a useful green transport initiative, have mushroomed without any regulation. With no designated routes or stops, they often form traffic bottlenecks, worsening peak-hour gridlocks. Add to the equation the absence of traffic regulation or enforcement personnel on key roads, and the result is anarchy on wheels.
To its credit, a high-level committee did identify encumbrance-free sites for multilevel and roadside parking, keeping in mind the City Mobility Plan. However, the proposals-though well-intentioned-have found themselves stuck in the age-old excuse of fund shortage. The Housing and Urban Development Department’s inability to allocate money from the Capex Budget for even essential infrastructure like parking lots is telling. Seeking aid under the Urban Infrastructure Development Fund is a start, but without parallel UT-level commitment, such efforts will remain tokenistic. Moreover, the failure to implement even the first phase of proposed geometric improvements at major traffic junctions-like Jewel Chowk, Indira Chowk, and Canal Head-has worsened urban mobility. The idea of developing Traffic Engineering Cells within JMC, JDA, and Traffic Police was laudable, yet remains largely unrealised. With untrained staff and no dedicated traffic engineers, the city’s traffic schemes are reduced to rough guesses and piecemeal interventions.
Another glaring issue is the underutilisation of expensive infrastructure like the much-hyped new Bus Stand complex and Jammu Haat, which are classic examples. These projects, executed at substantial public cost, remain either idle or grossly underused, as authorities have failed to integrate them into the larger city mobility and market ecosystem.
Jammu’s slow descent into urban chaos is not irreversible. But course correction demands immediate, coordinated and courageous steps. One-way traffic loops must be urgently designed and implemented. Roadside parking should be allowed where feasible, with rationalised footpaths in the old city. Anti-encroachment drives must become a sustained, law-backed movement rather than seasonal optics. The city’s planning bodies must rediscover the Master Plan 2032 and start ticking off actionable items one by one-with citizen consultation and transparency at every stage. Above all, there must be an administrative awakening to the idea that every smart city is built on consistent enforcement of planning norms, not on press releases and empty inauguration ceremonies. Piecemeal approaches, whimsical designs, and short-term firefighting can no longer mask the long-term rot. It’s time for the JMC and District Administration to pull up their socks, revisit the drawing board, and give Jammu the disciplined urban order it was promised. The city is not beyond saving. But the clock is ticking.
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