Ganderbal residents urge authorities to regulate tourist traffic flow

Residents of Ganderbal have urged LG Manoj Sinha, CM Omar Abdullah and other senior officials for their intervention to ensure that traffic in the district gets streamlined.

“I am writing to you on behalf of the residents, students, and working professionals of District Ganderbal to bring to your urgent attention a pressing issue that is severely affecting daily life in our region,” reads a letter from a representative of Ganderbal residents.

“While we wholeheartedly welcome the thriving tourism industry, which is a backbone of our economy, the unrestricted movement of tourist vehicles during the early morning rush hour has led to unprecedented traffic gridlocks. Specifically, the influx of tourist convoys and cabs heading toward major destinations like Sonamarg concurrently with morning commute hours is causing massive bottlenecks.”

It said this daily traffic congestion has resulted in serious consequences for the local populace: Impact on School Children: Hundreds of students are regularly delayed, missing their morning assemblies and crucial first-period classes because school buses are stuck in immovable traffic.

Hinderance to Employees: Government and private sector employees are unable to reach their workplaces on time, impacting administrative efficiency and public services. Medical Emergencies: The gridlock poses a severe risk to patient care, as ambulances and citizens facing medical emergencies find themselves stranded in traffic.

The letter further adds: “Our Request: To mitigate this crisis without harming the tourism sector, we earnestly request the administration to regulate and schedule the flow of tourist vehicles so that they are permitted to pass through key bottlenecks only after official morning rush hours (e.g., after 10:30 am). Alternatively, dedicated lanes or staggered timings could be introduced during the peak hours of 8 am to 10:30 am.

This minor adjustment would ensure a smooth commute for local citizens while still allowing tourists ample time to enjoy their travel schedules.” We hope for a prompt and empathetic intervention from your esteemed offices to resolve this grievance at the earliest, it further says.