Kulgam, October 17: In a stark reflection of the worsening traffic crisis on the Srinagar–Jammu National Highway, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary was caught in an hours-long traffic jam at Mir Bazar in Anantnag today, forcing him to walk nearly four kilometers on foot to continue his journey.
The Deputy Chief Minister, who was returning to Jammu after concluding official engagements in South Kashmir, was left with no choice as vehicles remained stranded for hours on the key national highway — a lifeline for Kashmir’s connectivity.
Taking serious exception to the alarming traffic mismanagement, Choudhary expressed strong displeasure over the recurring congestion and the hardship it causes to commuters, especially emergency services and transporters.
“This is not just an inconvenience — it’s a failure of systems meant to ensure basic mobility,” the Deputy CM stated, demanding urgent corrective measures from the concerned authorities.
He issued strict instructions to the Traffic Department, District Administration, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to launch an immediate joint action plan to streamline traffic flow, identify and eliminate bottlenecks, and fast-track road widening and repair works in the affected stretches.
Calling the situation “completely unacceptable on a strategic highway,” the Deputy Chief Minister stressed that accountability must be fixed, and permanent solutions implemented to prevent such disruptions in the future.
