Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Questions over road space, traffic congestion and the durability of urban infrastructure have resurfaced in Srinagar, where stretches developed under the Smart City Project are drawing criticism over narrowed carriageways, widened footpaths and the dismantling of recently completed pedestrian works.
The concerns have gained fresh attention after sections of the pedestrian walkway at Jehangir Chowk were dismantled and reworked recently, with tiles removed and stacked beside the road. The reason for the latest intervention has not been officially explained.
The issue has also drawn political criticism. National Conference spokesperson and Zadibal MLA Tanvir Sadiq described the Smart City Project as ill-conceived, arguing that roads in Downtown Srinagar had been narrowed while footpaths were widened without adequate planning. “Using tiles does not make a city smart,” Sadiq said, questioning the planning approach and stressing the need for functional drainage and sewerage infrastructure.
The concerns are not limited to political voices. Commuters report persistent congestion on key stretches, including Maulana Azad Road and Residency Road, where traffic movement remains slow despite road upgrades. A trader, Zahoor Ahmad, described the difficulty of reaching his shop in Lal Chowk amid recurring congestion. He said he had switched from a car to a scooter, but even that had become hard because of limited road space.
The repeated reworking of completed infrastructure has raised questions about planning, coordination between agencies, project supervision and the public cost of dismantling and rebuilding works. For many residents, the sight of freshly laid tiles being lifted soon after completion reinforces a sense that decisions are being made without adequate long-term assessment.
Urban planners generally stress that road width, pedestrian space and drainage must be designed together, particularly in older city cores with narrow lanes and dense commercial activity. Downtown Srinagar fits that description, with heavy footfall, mixed traffic and limited room for expansion. In such areas, even small changes in carriageway width can have an outsized effect on traffic flow, and drainage failures can quickly undo the benefit of surface upgrades.
People are now left seeking clarity on whether the changes are part of a planned redesign, a response to traffic problems, or corrections to earlier execution. Officials have not yet publicly clarified which of these applies, nor outlined the cost involved in the latest reworking at Jehangir Chowk.
With winter approaching, residents and traders are also concerned about how the reworked stretches will perform under rain, snow and increased vehicle movement. Transparency on the scope, timeline and expenditure of the Smart City works, they say, would help restore public confidence and ensure that further changes are carried out with proper coordination.
