The condition of the road stretching from Wanabal Chowk up to the Humhama-Airport Road presents a glaring example of official apathy, bureaucratic buck-passing, and utter disregard for public convenience. Once meant to serve as a vital link for daily commuters, students, office-goers, and tourists heading to and from the airport, this stretch of road is now a mess of crater-sized ditches, dust clouds, and broken surfaces—virtually in shambles.
Despite the strategic importance of this route, both the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department have been conveniently playing the blame game instead of addressing the problem. When questioned, the SMC points fingers at the R&B for not taking up the macadamisation work, while the R&B shrugs responsibility citing pending clearance or incomplete work by the SMC. This administrative deadlock has resulted in the road being reduced to a death trap.
The daily struggle of thousands of commuters using this stretch cannot be overstated. Ambulances find it hard to maneuver; school buses bounce over rough patches, endangering children; and elderly residents dread even short trips due to the jerks and jolts of travel. For tourists arriving at or heading to Srinagar Airport, this first (or last) impression of the Valley is a harsh one—dusty, chaotic, and utterly neglected.
One wonders: How long will citizens be forced to suffer while departments indulge in red-tape battles? Are proper roads a luxury in our urban planning, or is basic infrastructure no longer a governance priority?
It is high time the Lieutenant Governor’s administration intervenes and fixes accountability. The concerned departments must be pulled up, timelines issued, and funds released on war footing for immediate repair and blacktopping. The road from Wanabal to Humhama must not remain a symbol of civic failure any longer. Citizens deserve better—and they deserve it now.
