*Transfer of route permits creating chaos in Jammu
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, June 17: Ill-planning and neglecting attitude of several Government departments towards clearly visible bottlenecks are continuously contributing to worsening traffic scenario in the winter capital city and given the enormity of the problem nobody knows when the situation will improve and Jammu city will get rid of ‘chaotic city’ tag.
This can be gauged from a detailed report submitted to the Division Bench of State High Court by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Traffic Jagjit Kumar. Besides immediate action on visible bottlenecks by the concerned departments, thrust has been laid in the report for constitution of committee of experts for assessing the feasibility of over ground fly over or underground subway in major problematic areas.
The perusal of the report reveals that unless proper coordination is ensured between all the concerned Government departments situation is not going to improve and rather will worsen with every passing year.
“All the major rotaries in Jammu city are ill-planned with majority of space being taken over by rotary and very less space available for road thereby leading to frequent congestion. Even height of retention wall of rotaries is also more than prescribed standard thereby reducing visibility across rotaries for commuters giving open invitation to the accidents”, the report said while laying stress on redesigning of the rotaries immediately by taking on board all the concerned agencies like Jammu Development Authority, Jammu Municipal Corporation, PWD and Traffic Police.
Putting the Transport Commissioner and Regional Transport Officer (RTO) in the dock, the report said that though new permits to mini-buses are not being issued after 2007 yet the number of mini-buses has not reduced in Jammu city due to transfer of route permits. “Mini-buses plying on the roads are more than required number and various complaints are pouring against plying of these vehicles on day to day basis”, the report further said while stressing that there should not be replacement of new vehicles on the permits issued before 1995.
About the major problematic areas of Janipur and Talab Tillo, the report said, “due to space constraint there is no alternate road available in Janipur for diverting traffic from main road to decongest it. Similarly, there is no option to widen the Talab Tillo road because canal is flowing adjacent to the road”. He has suggested formulation of committee of experts for assessing the feasibility of over ground fly over or underground subway for these areas.
About circular road, the IGP said that this road is occupied by parked vehicles as such creating obstacles in free vehicular movement. “This problem will persist unless Jammu Development Authority constructs multilevel parking along the left side of the road as sufficient place is available on the bank of River Tawi”, he added.
As far as congestion in Satwari Chowk is concerned, the report said, “it is one of the busiest rotaries with road width on all side being disproportionate to vehicular frequency. Road towards airport further gets congested due to presence of Sabzi Mandi as well as stand for R S Pura bound buses just adjacent to the rotary”, adding “shifting of Sabzi Mandi from the present location to place available towards Army gate side is imperative”. In the report, thrust has been laid on formulation of committee of engineers for assessing feasibility of construction of flyover from Last Morh with two leadings—first at Airport and second towards Gurdwara Ashok Nagar Satwari.
About busiest markets in the old city like Gumat, Hari Market, Raghunath Bazar, Kanak Mandi, Old Hospital Road, Purani Mandi, Jain Bazar, Chowk Chabutra and other areas like Marble Market, Shastri Nagar, Nanak Nagar and Paloura, IGP Traffic has recommended ban on movement of any kind of vehicles inside these markets for loading and uploading purposes from 7 am to 8.30 pm.
In the report, stress has also been laid on relocation of electric poles by the Power Development Department from the roads of Jammu city for free flow of traffic. “These poles are erected 5 to 6 feet inside of road breadth which cause obstruction in free flow of traffic particularly at Satwari Chowk, Patta Bohri Chowk and on New Plot-Janipur road”, the report said.
The IGP has also projected enhancement in sanctioned strength of Traffic Police personnel in view of increase in vehicular traffic on day to day basis. “The manpower is insufficient to cover urban and rural areas of Jammu and about three time manpower as per existing strength is required to cover all routes”, he said in the report.
“All these issues/bottlenecks are visible to those at the helm of affairs in the concerned departments since long but it is unfortunate that they have yet not taken any step to remove the same”, sources said, adding “keeping in view enormity of the problem the situation will not improve unless all the departments show seriousness and work in coordination with each other”.
“Now, it is to be seen whether the departments identified in the report of IGP Traffic start acting on removal of bottlenecks or will consider the report merely as trash”, sources remarked.
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