Restoring Order on Jammu’s Roads

A call for urgent traffic reforms

Ashish Gupta
fika8950@gmail.com
Jammu, the historic winter capital of Jammu & Kashmir, was once known for its calm, order, and civic discipline. Today, however, it finds itself caught in a deepening traffic crisis – a city where honking, gridlocks, and chaos have become the defining features of daily life. What was once a symbol of urban planning and manageable growth has turned into a case study of administrative neglect and infrastructural paralysis.
A City Under Vehicular Siege
The numbers themselves tell a grim story. The total number of registered vehicles in Jammu & Kashmir has more than doubled in eight years – from 14.88 lakh in 2017 to 27.29 lakh by December 2024. In just nine months of 2024-25, 1.33 lakh new vehicles were registered and over 71,000 driving licences issued.
This unchecked vehicular expansion has far outpaced the city’s carrying capacity. Between January and October 2024, Jammu district alone reported 910 traffic accidents, leading to 105 fatalities and 1,218 injuries – numbers nearly twice those recorded in Srinagar.
Jammu’s traffic index of 95.20 and inefficiency index of 77.12 reflect what residents already know: a city paralysed by congestion. The average commute spans barely 10.5 km but takes 30 minutes – a telling measure of lost time and productivity.
Channi Himmat: From Model Colony to Urban Cautionary Tale
If there is one locality that mirrors Jammu’s larger traffic and planning collapse, it is Channi Himmat. Conceived after the success of Gandhi Nagar, it was meant to be a model residential colony – low-cost yet high-quality, with dedicated shopping complexes, parking zones, and green belts.
Over time, however, Channi Himmat has been allowed to disintegrate into an unregulated commercial hub. Residential houses have been converted into showrooms, restaurants, and offices, violating the original land-use plan. Encroachments and roadside parking have consumed the streets, leaving no space for pedestrians and at times, even blocking emergency vehicles.
What was designed as a benchmark of planned living has become a warning – of how unregulated urbanisation, weak enforcement, and official apathy can destroy the character and functionality of a neighbourhood.
The Enforcement Deficit
Infrastructure alone cannot resolve this crisis. The more fundamental failure lies in weak enforcement and outdated traffic management systems. The Traffic Police, though committed, remain under-staffed and under-equipped to manage a vehicular ecosystem that has expanded exponentially.
The long-delayed Jammu Metro Project, announced with great promise, could have been a game-changer for sustainable mobility. Yet, years later, it remains stalled – emblematic of how institutional lethargy often defeats visionary planning.
If order is to be restored, traffic management must move from manual to intelligent systems. The adoption of Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS) – equipped with red-light violation cameras, automated challans, synchronized signals, and real-time monitoring – is no longer optional; it is essential.
Further, a dedicated Urban Traffic Command Centre should be established for integrated surveillance and coordination. Enforcement must be visible, continuous, and data-driven – not reactive or symbolic.
Learning from Global Models
Globally, cities that once faced similar crises – from Singapore to Dubai – have managed to reverse the tide through discipline and data. Their approach begins not with more roads, but with smarter regulation.
Both cities link vehicle registrations and driving licences to strict quotas and performance-based renewal systems. New vehicles are permitted only in proportion to those deregistered. Drivers undergo periodic reorientation and renewal based on traffic records, ensuring accountability and continuous education.
Jammu could consider a pilot project based on these principles – aligning new registrations with road capacity, mandating professional reorientation for commercial drivers, and rewarding safe driving through graded licence renewals.
A Comprehensive Traffic and Mobility Plan
To achieve lasting change, Jammu needs a Comprehensive Traffic and Mobility Management Plan (CTMMP) – a coordinated, time-bound blueprint prepared by professionals and implemented across departments including Transport, Traffic Police, Jammu Municipal Corporation, and PWD (R&B).
The CTMMP should include:
* Dedicated routes and operational zones for e-autos, whose unregulated growth has become a major contributor to congestion.
* Smart parking systems and multi-level parking projects to reclaim road space.
* Dedicated pedestrian and non-motorized zones in dense market areas.
* Sustained encroachment removal drives, backed by civic and police coordination.
Such a plan must not remain an academic exercise. It needs enforcement, citizen cooperation, and political will in equal measure.
Restoring Vision and Accountability
Traffic disorder in Jammu is not merely a logistical issue – it is an urban emergency in slow motion. It affects economic productivity, tourism, air quality, and most importantly, the peace of mind of citizens.
The solution lies in combining strong enforcement, technological modernization, and citizen awareness under a single vision – a vision that reclaims the dignity and liveability of Jammu’s streets.
With focused leadership and cross-departmental commitment, Jammu can still reverse this decline. Restoring order to its roads would not only bring relief to its residents but also set an example for other mid-sized Indian cities struggling with similar challenges.
Jammu deserves roads that move, systems that function, and governance that acts.
(The author is a serving Government Officer, civic commentator and concerned citizen based in Jammu.)

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