Srinagar, Jan 29: A number of footpaths in Srinagar city have been demolished which creates inconvenience for commuters and cause regular traffic jams in critical spots.
Rising Kashmir received many complaints across the city, wherein people complained about the messy condition of footpaths and digging of roads at many places.
Commenting on the issue, Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Athar Amir Khan, said that these footpaths were damaged and they were making new footpaths.
“The conditions of the paths were bad, and the department is currently redesigning them for a smoother walk for the common people,” the officer added.
The commuter stated that they have no option other than walking on the roadside, posing an accident risk. Also, the people with disabilities are facing greater issues while walking on the road.
This also causes massive traffic jams in many city centre locations, consuming a significant amount of commuter time, particularly for school-aged children.
According to a local shopkeeper at the residency, the city has become riddled with pits in the name of development. He claims that large pits have been opened at numerous locations for a long time with no plans to close them.
”Roads are dug up every year to instal cables; why don’t they instal these cables once and for all to avoid major road damage? These big pits remain open for months, and after that, authorities are closing them. But sometimes they are dredging roads again, causing inconvenience to people,” he complained.
Those who are executing this work should have a comprehensive plan to avoid dredging roads every year, he added.
Another shopkeeper said that the SMC has dismantled many footpaths at a same time however they should have done the repairing works in a phased manner. “The dismantling of these paths at one time in many locations has turned the city into a complete mess.”
SMC officials said these footpaths would be completed soon, adding they haven’t stopped the execution work in the winter as well.
Although people at some locations are facing a bit of inconvenience, but we are working tirelessly to complete these footpaths at an earliest, he said.
