The ongoing widening of the Baramulla-Uri highway on Sunday triggered fresh traffic woes as a temporary closure of the highway at Danakha Mode left hundreds of commuters stranded for hours on the alternate road from Khadniyar area.
The Baramulla-Uri highway was closed near Danakha Mode from 7am to 5pm on Sunday to facilitate hill-cutting work at the site.
The district administration Baramulla issued an order to temporary close the Baramulla-Uri highway at Danakha Mode in view of hill-cutting saying that there were apprehension of landslides during the execution of the work and the need to prevent any loss of life or property.
An official said the restriction was necessary in view of previous incidents of minor landslides in the area, which had also prompted temporary restrictions on vehicular movement.
However, the diversion of traffic through the Khadniyar road created chaos as the road remained heavily congested for several hours.
Commuters said the alternate road, carrying traffic from both directions, has developed potholes and has not received adequate repairs.
The commuters said the diversion made it difficult for motorists to reach their destinations on time.
According to eyewitnesses, the traffic snarl stretched for hours as the vehicles were stuck from both sides of the road.
They also complained of alleged inadequate traffic management, adding to the chaos.
“It was really chaotic as the traffic remained blocked on the road. “There was no proper traffic management on the road,” a passenger from Srinagar, who had come to attend a condolence meeting in Uri, told Greater Kashmir.
The widening of the Baramulla-Uri highway is currently being executed at a brisk pace, with men and machinery deployed from dawn to dusk.
While the project is aimed at improving connectivity along the strategic route, the ongoing construction has periodically resulted in traffic bottlenecks, particularly at stretches where heavy machinery occupies road space.
Commuters said that whenever traffic is diverted from the main highway, the alternate routes should be kept motorable and adequate traffic regulation should be put in place to prevent prolonged congestion and inconvenience to the public.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) traffic (rural) Mujahid Nazir said traffic police were deployed at several spots to regulate movement.
“Our men were there at designated spots. We cannot deploy them at each spot. People must develop proper driving sense rather than blaming others,” DySP traffic rural told Greater Kashmir.
He said that drivers do not follow proper lane driving but are always in a hurry to reach their destination.
“This was the basic reason for today’s traffic congestion,” he added.
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