Srinagar, Aug 19 (KNO): At first light of morning on Wednesday, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took the pulse of Srinagar’s development, undertaking an extensive early-morning tour of the city and reviewing around a dozen major ongoing and proposed projects, while stressing the need to address traffic congestion, waterlogging, parking woes and gaps in public infrastructure.
Beginning the tour around 6:30 am, the Chief Minister visited project sites across all eight Assembly constituencies and reviewed the progress of road and traffic infrastructure, healthcare facilities, heritage conservation, judicial infrastructure and sports projects.
Speaking during the tour, Omar, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said waterlogging in parts of Srinagar was a legacy issue and not a problem created during the last two or five years.
“Waterlogging in parts of Srinagar is a legacy issue. It's not the creation of the last two years, not even the last five years. Neither you nor I know who gave permission to build colonies without providing drainage. Now, retrospectively, we are creating drainage in these colonies,” he said.
The Chief Minister said vulnerable areas had been identified and additional pumping arrangements were made whenever warnings were received from the Meteorological Department.
“When we receive warnings from the Met Department, we arrange additional pumpage,” he said.
At Barbar Shah in Habba Kadal, Omar inspected the site of the proposed multi-span bridge over Choont Khul, being executed by the PW(R&B) Department, Srinagar Core Division, at an estimated cost of Rs 32.50 crore.
The bridge, designed as per IRC codal standards and MoRTH specifications and taking into account the requirements of Seismic Zone-V, is aimed at improving connectivity to Shehar-e-Khaas, easing congestion, improving road safety and strengthening urban mobility in the historic core.
He also inspected the newly constructed building of the Urban Primary Health Centre at Maharaj Gunj. The facility, being executed by the Public Works Department under UT CAPEX at a cost of Rs 2.62 crore, is scheduled for completion by November 20, 2026.
At Mirza Kamil Sahib Chowk, Hawal, the CM laid the foundation stone for a Rs 1.32-crore beautification, upgradation and junction improvement project aimed at improving traffic management, pedestrian movement and road safety.
At SDH Habak, Hazratbal, he inspected the ongoing construction of the new hospital building and reviewed the progress of the long-pending project. The project, which had remained stalled for a considerable period, was revived after the present Council of Ministers granted the required norm relaxations. It has a revised cost of Rs 54.49 crore and envisages a two-basement, four-storey, 50-bed hospital.
Omar also inspected the conservation and restoration of the historic Aali Masjid at Eidgah and directed the authorities to ensure meticulous conservation while maintaining the monument’s historical, architectural and heritage character.
The Chief Minister then reviewed the road-safety project involving flyovers at Parimpora and Shalteng Junctions on the Srinagar Bypass along NH-44. The project, being executed under Road Safety Works on EPC mode, has an approximate total length of 2,000 metres, with elevated portions of 105 metres at Parimpora and 92 metres at Shalteng. The six-lane facility includes approaches, service roads, drainage and utility corridors and has an estimated cost of Rs 85 crore.
At SKIMS Medical College and Hospital, Bemina, Omar reviewed the progress of the 250-bedded IPD Block and College/Laboratory Block.
He also inspected the site of the proposed High Court Complex at Rakh-i-Aksha, Bemina, a project with an approved cost of Rs 908.20 crore.
The Chief Minister subsequently inspected the proposed Mominabad Vehicle Underpass, aimed at reducing congestion and facilitating smoother movement along the National Highway.
The proposed four-lane RCC T-Beam Slab underpass will have a 22.50-metre main carriageway, service roads on both sides, approaches, drainage and utility corridors and a vertical clearance of 5.5 metres.
He also reviewed proposals for the underpass at Nowgam Railway Station and a Foot Over Bridge at Children Hospital, Bemina. The Nowgam underpass will have a 25-metre main carriageway, service roads and 5.5-metre vertical clearance, while the proposed FOB will be 48.5 metres long and 3.19 metres wide, with lifts for persons with disabilities, senior citizens and women.
At Gindun Sports Complex, Rajbagh, the CM inspected the recently completed main swimming pool, which was developed at a cost of Rs 20.60 crore. He also reviewed the Training-cum-Toddler/All-Weather Heated Pool facility and inspected the newly completed Gymnastic Hall at Gindun.
The gymnastic hall, measuring 110 feet by 70 feet and covering around 8,700 square feet, was initiated in June 2023 at an advertised cost of Rs 3.28 crore and completed in July 2026.
Speaking after the tour, CM Abdullah said field visits allowed the government to compare the information presented at the Secretariat with the actual ground situation.
“The benefit of these tours is that we get a chance to compare what is told in the Secretariat and the ground reality. I assure the people of Srinagar that similar projects will be taken up. The big bottlenecks will be corrected,” he said.
He stressed the need to decongest Srinagar and address the shortage of parking in Shehar-e-Khaas. “We need to decongest Srinagar from traffic jams, for which some important steps have to be taken. In Shehar-e-Khaas, there is a huge problem of parking, and we will address and resolve that issue also,” he said.
Omar said both Srinagar and Jammu, the two capital cities of Jammu and Kashmir, required focused attention. “We are the only area in this country where there are two capitals—Srinagar in the summer and Jammu in the winter. It is obvious that both cities need to be given special attention,” he said.
The Chief Minister was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, Minister for Health and Medical Education Sakina Itoo, Minister for Sports Satish Sharma, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, MLA Khanyar Ali Mohammad Sagar, MLA Habba Kadal Shamim Firdous, MLA Eidgah Mubarik Gul, MLA Zadibal Tanvir Sadiq, MLA Hazratbal Salman Ali Sagar, MLA Chanapora Mushtaq Guroo and MLA Lal Chowk Sheikh Ahsan Ahmed.
Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Commissioner Secretary Youth Services and Sports, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Commissioner Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Director Health Services Kashmir, Engineer-in-Chief R&B, Secretary Sports Council, senior engineers of executing agencies and other concerned officers also accompanied the Chief Minister during the tour—(KNO)