Kashmir’s worsening traffic crisis has turned daily commuting into an exhausting and dangerous ordeal. Across Srinagar and other major towns — from Residency Road and Lal Chowk to Batmaloo, Hyderpora, Parraypora, and the airport road — traffic signals remain defunct for weeks and sometimes months. What once regulated movement now stands like abandoned infrastructure, silently reflecting official negligence and administrative failure.
At several major junctions, traffic police personnel appear more like passive spectators than active regulators. Instead of maintaining discipline, many are seen casually gesturing, chatting among themselves, or selectively issuing challans while chaos unfolds around them. The result is complete disorder on roads already burdened by increasing traffic and poor planning.
This is not merely an inconvenience; it is a serious public safety issue. Without functioning signals, intersections become dangerous battlegrounds where buses, private vehicles, autos, and two-wheelers compete recklessly for space. Endless honking, sudden overtakes, and uncontrolled crossings have become part of Kashmir’s everyday reality. Pedestrians, especially schoolchildren, elderly citizens, and women, are forced to navigate these roads at great personal risk.
The impact is visible everywhere. Road accidents continue to rise, hospitals report increasing trauma cases linked to traffic mismanagement, and emergency vehicles often remain trapped in jams. Students arrive late to classes, office workers lose productive hours, and businesses suffer delays. Precious fuel burns endlessly in long queues, adding economic losses and environmental damage to an already serious problem.
Despite public outrage, authorities continue to offer familiar excuses. Technical faults, weather damage, manpower shortages, and pending tenders are repeatedly cited while the same traffic signals remain dead year after year. Maintenance contracts exist, funds are allocated, yet repairs rarely happen on time. This repeated administrative failure has deepened public frustration and created the impression that accountability no longer exists within the system.
More disturbing is the sense of indifference shown towards ordinary Kashmiris. Srinagar handles heavy tourist, commercial, and local traffic throughout the year, yet road management remains outdated and ineffective. In many other cities, damaged signals are repaired within days and traffic systems are monitored closely. In Kashmir, however, dysfunction has gradually become normalised.
The solution does not require miracles. Authorities must begin treating non-functional traffic signals as emergencies rather than routine paperwork. Dedicated repair teams should be deployed with strict deadlines for restoration. Traffic personnel must be retrained and stationed effectively at critical junctions where signals fail. Solar-powered backup systems and centralised monitoring can prevent long breakdowns, especially during harsh winters and power cuts.
Most importantly, accountability must be enforced. Officers responsible for prolonged failures should face action instead of shifting blame endlessly.
Kashmiris already endure enough social, political, and economic hardships. They deserve roads that are safe, functional, and properly managed — not daily humiliation at every crossing. If authorities continue to ignore this growing crisis, the next tragedy caused by traffic chaos will not be an accident alone, but a failure of governance.
