Baramulla, Oct 18 (KNO): The widening of the Uri-Baramulla road into two lanes has turned into a daily ordeal for residents and commuters, who have faced persistent traffic jams, dust pollution, and rising environmental concerns for the past year.
Locals blame poor planning and mismanagement for the ongoing issues. Despite the road being a key route in north Kashmir, residents say the project suffers from a lack of manpower and oversight, leading to frequent delays and traffic snarls.
“Every day, we’re stuck in traffic for hours. There’s no proper traffic regulation,” Ali Mohammad, a resident of Uri told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
He added that irregular work zones and a lack of staff during rush hours slow down vehicles to a crawl.
Dust pollution is another major issue. Constant digging and the absence of dust control measures have made travel difficult, especially for children and the elderly. “There’s no water sprinkling at all. The dust is unbearable,” said local resident Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir.
Environmental concerns are also mounting, with residents accusing the construction agency of cutting down hundreds of trees near the NS Bridge and Boniyar area without replanting. This, they say, has led to landslides during the rainy season and made the slopes near the bridge hazardous.
Fed up with the situation, residents are urging authorities to conduct heavy construction work at night to ease daytime congestion. “Why can’t they do the heavy work at night when traffic is less?” asked Imtiaz, a local bus driver.
Some locals have also alleged the use of substandard materials in the project. However,officials said the overall traffic situation has improved compared to previous months. “Traffic disruptions persist in a few stretches, but the rest of the road is in much better condition,” said a senior official , adding that the remaining problem areas are expected to improve within a month or two. He also stated that the issue of dust control has been raised with Beacon officials.
Meanwhile, reports are coming in from various areas of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district that people are becoming disappointed with the ongoing macadamization work. Reports indicate that the macadam laid just six days ago on inner roads has already started to come off in several places. Similarly, the macadam laid on the Lolab bypass about 20 days ago has begun to deteriorate at various spots. The inner roads in the Dardpora area also present a deserted look due to lack of maintenance—(KNO)