Srinagar, Sep 17 (KNO): What was meant to be Srinagar’s traffic saviour has become its biggest bottleneck. With an estimated Rs 9.5 crore budget, the incomplete Noor Jahan bridge at Qamarwari Srinagar, sanctioned in 2009 to decongest the old Cement Kadal crossing, remains unfinished after 15 years, forcing thousands of vehicles to squeeze through the same narrow route daily.
Every rush hour paints the same picture: gridlocked lanes, honking cars, stranded ambulances and school buses caught in the snarl.
“If this bridge was open, half this mess wouldn’t exist,” said Riyaz Ahmad, a downtown resident, who spends nearly 20 minutes crossing Qamarwari each morning.
The 130-metre bridge was supposed to be operational by 2014, but after missing more than six deadlines under three different governments, it has become a symbol of stalled development.
Officials speaking with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), ‘blame land acquisition disputes and contractor lapses,’ alleging mismanagement and lack of political will.
Superintending Engineer R&B Showkat Ahmad Kumar said the contractor has been penalised and deadlines extended multiple times. “We are now targeting completion within two months,” he told KNO.
He said they had also been facing issues due to the unavailability of materials, which have now arrived.
Responding to queries about the absence of workers at the bridge site during the day, the SE said, the work is being carried out at night and the project is expected to be completed within the next two months.
The residents, however, remain sceptical. “They have been saying ‘two months’ for years,” said Ali Mohammad. “We have lost faith. It is not just a bridge stuck in limbo — it’s our lives that are stuck,” he said—(KNO)