Shopian, Oct 26 (KNO): Residents of several villages in South Kashmir have urged the government to widen the 22-km long Shopian-Aglar road to ensure smooth traffic movement and reduce the risk of accidents on this important thoroughfare.
Residents while talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said, “Narrow stretches of this road frequently lead to traffic congestion and increase the risk of accidents.”
They said the road serves as a vital link connecting dozens of villages across Shopian and adjoining areas of Pulwama and Anantnag districts.
Residents said the route witnesses’ heavy traffic throughout the day. “Hundreds of employees, labourers and other people travel to the Industrial Estate SIDCO Lassipora through this road,” they said.
Residents of Aglar, Nikloora, Shirmal, Heff, Chillipora, Sugan, Turkwangam, Molu, Dangerpora, Trenz, Pahnoo and several other villages said the road has become increasingly narrow to accommodate the heavy volume of vehicular traffic.
They said that although the authorities have undertaken maintenance work on the road, its limited width at several places continues to cause inconvenience to commuters, with vehicles often getting stuck while attempting to pass each other.
Fayaz Ahmad of Heff, said the government has done commendable work in maintaining the vital road, but its existing width is insufficient to accommodate the heavy rush of vehicles.
"The Shopian-Aglar road is an important route for people travelling between Shopian, Kulgam and other adjoining areas. A large number of people use it daily to reach the Industrial Estate at Lassipora, but the narrow stretches frequently cause traffic jams," he said.
"Since the road connects numerous villages and remains busy throughout the day, widening it has become a necessity. The present condition at several points causes inconvenience to commuters and increases the chances of accidents," he added.
Sameer Ahmad, of Turkwangam, said the road is particularly important for people travelling to SIDCO Lassipora and other workplaces in the area.
He said labourers, employees and other commuters often face delays due to traffic congestion on the narrow stretches, affecting their daily schedules.
"The road provides connectivity to several villages and is used by a large number of people travelling to the industrial estate and nearby offices. However, its narrow width makes the journey difficult, particularly during peak hours," he said.
Other residents said traffic congestion had become a recurring problem, with commuters frequently facing difficulties while crossing narrow portions of the road.
They said widening the road would not only ease traffic movement but also improve connectivity between villages and facilitate the movement of people travelling for work, education, healthcare and other essential purposes.
The residents said they had repeatedly brought the issue to the attention of the concerned authorities, but no concrete steps had been taken so far to widen the road.
They appealed to the government and the concerned department to take up the matter on priority and initiate measures to widen the entire stretch.
The residents said timely intervention would help prevent avoidable traffic congestion, minimise the risk of accidents and provide much-needed relief to thousands of people who depend on the road for their daily commute—(KNO)