Huge traffic jams on roads leading to SKIMS, SMHS hospitals due to abandoned work

SRINAGAR: Despite a year having passed, the road widening work on vital Safa Kadal-Sekidafar stretch is yet to be completed, due to which two main roads going towards SKIMS and SMHS hospitals are riddled with frequent traffic jams.
Under the Smart City project, the two roads were to be widened along with the intersection near Sekidafar Chowk at a cost of Rs 56.53 lakh.
Feroz Ahmad, a shopkeeper in the area, told Kashmir Reader that last year the authorities started widening the footpath, but within a week they stopped work. Since that day, he said, “we have not seen any official here.”
The chowk frequently witnesses traffic jams due to being an intersection of four roads. Mushtaq Ahmed, another shopkeeper, said that the traffic jams have become worse due to the installation of lane dividers by the traffic department.
“If the department widens the road and the intersection, it will solve the problem of traffic jams,” he said.
A political worker Mehrajdin Bhat of Safa Kadal , who unsuccessfully contested previous two assembly elections, said the stretch measuring just a kilometre from Safa Kadal to Sekidafar is causing huge inconvenience to patients and commuters alike because of frequent traffic jams.
A senior Engineer at the Roads and Building department told Kashmir Reader that the work was stopped because the Power Development Department did not shift its transformer from the site.
“Four times we have sent reminders to the power department but they don’t pay heed,” the engineer said.
He said that there are no funds issues. “The funds are lying with the department for the past year. It is due to the lack of seriousness of the power department that the work has been stopped,” he said.

NAZIMA SIDIQ