SSP Traffic Srinagar Blames School Timings for Rising City Congestion

SRINAGAR: The Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic), City Srinagar, Aijaz Ahmad, has attributed the growing traffic congestion in the city to recent changes in school timings.

Speaking to the media, the SSP explained that schools in Srinagar previously began at 8 am, but the revised schedule now starts at 10 am, causing peak hours for schools and offices to overlap. “This change has altered traffic patterns. The entire traffic volume now converges on Lal Chowk and other main routes at almost the same time,” he said.

The Traffic Police Department is reportedly monitoring the situation continuously and deploying additional personnel at critical junctions to manage congestion. “We try to ease the flow wherever there is pressure and deploy manpower accordingly,” the SSP added.

He noted that the onset of winter has further compounded traffic woes, as shorter days and colder mornings lead people to leave home later in the morning and return earlier in the evening, intensifying pressure on main routes during peak hours.

Highlighting recurring jams between Rambagh and Natipora, SSP Ahmad said, “There is always traffic pressure in that stretch. Vehicles are diverted via Natipora–Doodh Ganga and Rambagh routes, but intersections around Rambagh remain challenging due to merging traffic from multiple directions.”

The SSP urged the public to cooperate with traffic authorities and adopt more efficient commuting practices. “We appeal to people to use public transport, carpooling, or shared vehicles. Roadside parking should be avoided as it restricts movement and creates bottlenecks,” he said.

The Senior Superintendent of Police has further warned that traffic violators will be dealt with strictly, even as the total number of challans issued this year has declined compared to the previous year.

He said that around 2.5 lakh challans have been issued so far this year, compared with approximately 4 lakh challans during the same period last year, indicating a significant drop in enforcement cases.

Assuring continued efforts to ease congestion, the SSP concluded, “Srinagar Traffic Police will continue monitoring key choke points, deploying additional personnel, and managing diversions to minimise inconvenience to commuters.”