The chaotic traffic and crowded shanty market in front of aesthetically built Shalimar heritage garden is a tell-tale sign of a badly executed Srinagar Smart City Project.
Srinagar- The chaotic traffic and crowded shanty market in front of aesthetically built Shalimar heritage garden is a tell-tale sign of a badly executed Srinagar Smart City Project. Ironically various government departments, entrusted with the responsibility of looking after this most popular tourist destination and its precincts, instead of addressing the problems, simply pass the buck giving credence to public perception that their priorities lie elsewhere.
Shalimar precincts unlike nearby Nishat have not been developed, or as locals allege have been abandoned after initial push by Srinagar Smart City Project Ltd (SSCL) ahead of G20 Summit last year. There is no designated parking space, like in Nishat either by SDA or SMC. No attempt has been made to shift the shanty market situated just opposite the iconic garden as it lies within100-metre prohibited and 300-metre regulated area of protected heritage zone.
In peak tourist season Shalimar road remains clogged with traffic- Photos Majid Nabi
“Shalimar resembles the old Batamaloo Bus Stand with scores of Sumo cabs vying for passengers amidst slow moving traffic on an already narrowed down stretch of road,” said Harwan resident Muhammad Amjad who struggles to drive through this crowded stretch every day.
Front road was macadamised, a path near the garden entrance was laid with cobblestones but planners ignored the fact that it needs a roundabout as it is a three way junction where traffic to and from Shalimar canal and Nishat converge.
The existence of makeshift shops, disorganised private parking lots in absence of one designated space and numerous car wash and mechanic shops surround the garden now.
Chaotic traffic outside Shalimar garden
“The authorities, it appears, have abandoned the area. Lakes and Waterways Conservation Authority (LCMA) is absent as illegal constructions in this prohibited zone galore. So has the traffic police which is hardly visible except when there is a VIP movement in the area”, allege residents of Shalimar. Chinar Chowk behind Shalimar garden remains clogged with traffic the whole day and roads leading to Harwan and Telbal and then to Hazratbal from here too are choked with roadside car parkings and encroachers.
“We have often beseeched the authorities to have the old and rotten chinar tree removed, but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Also, there is always traffic congestion in the area since a sumo stand has come up in the middle of the square,” Farhan Ali, a resident of Pazwalpora told Kashmir Observer.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar, Muzaffar Ahmad Shah says he will look into the matter and resolve any traffic-related issues in the area. Earlier SSP Traffic had given a similar commitment in October last year.
It is quite likely that Srinagar Smart City Ltd. has plans for Shalimar Garden that are comparable to those of Nishat, whose immediate surroundings and precinct have been beautifully renovated, said Dr Naima Iqbal who travels through the area daily from her Dhar Bagh residence.
“They must be having plans for rows of shanty looking shops opposite this aesthetically built garden. They are slur and need either relocation or makeover. Open spaces around the garden with less noise would be a great tribute to the builders of this garden,” she said.
When contacted, Vice-Chairman of the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA), Bashir Ahmad Bhat said that several initiatives, such as the reconstruction of the Shalimar Canal and the upgrading of Foreshore Road, were carried out as part of the Srinagar Smart City Project. He however declared that the work around Shalimar garden under SSCL is almost complete.
Chinar Chowk, Shalimar is a major bottleneck hampering traffic on vital Harwan and Hazratbal routes.
Regarding any plans to move or take down the makeshift shops in front of the garden, he shrugged the responsibility saying that the Floriculture Department, and not the LCMA, was in charge of those shops.
“Around Shalimar, the majority of the work under SSCL has been finished, and the remaining work will be finished as soon as feasible. Regarding parking, we are unable to proceed until we have the necessary land and authorization,” the General Manager of SSCL, Anuj Malhotra told Kashmir Observer.
When KO informed him that the area between Shalimar and Foreshore Road was ideal for a designated parking space, Malhotra said if the LCMA grants them land anywhere nearby, they might also establish a parking area like that in Nishat.
About the further beautification of Shalimar garden under the SSCL, he said that all work given as part of the project has been finished, and no more work would be undertaken in this area.
Regarding ongoing illegal constructions, Zahid Hassan Samoon, Deputy Superintendent Enforcement Wing LCMA, said all illegal encroachments will be dismantled as part of the department’s massive demolition drive that will take place over the next few days in Shalimar and surrounding areas.
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