The prolonged failure of traffic signals across Jammu city has transformed what should have been a manageable urban inconvenience into a full-blown civic crisis. For months, a majority of traffic lights installed under the much-publicised Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) have remained defunct, plunging the city into daily chaos. What was showcased as a smart, technology-driven answer to congestion has instead laid bare serious flaws in planning, execution and accountability—leaving ordinary commuters to suffer.
This breakdown is neither sudden nor isolated. Jammu’s traffic signals have been problematic almost since their installation. Several signals—outside the Civil Secretariat, near Women College Parade, at Kachi Chawni Chowk and many other locations—were poorly sited or never functioned optimally. Instead of rectifying these shortcomings, authorities quietly allowed many installations to lapse into disuse. The result is a structural failure rooted in faulty planning and prolonged neglect, now culminating in near-paralysis across the city.
The irony is hard to miss. Crores of rupees were spent under the Jammu Smart City project to modernise traffic management, yet the sight of dead signals at busy junctions today adds insult to the injury of commuters already grappling with congestion, poor road discipline and endless construction. Far from easing movement, the dysfunctional system has magnified disorder at almost every major intersection.
For citizens, the impact is immediate and personal. Office-goers are late with alarming regularity, students lose classroom hours, and patients struggle to reach hospitals on time. With traffic lights out of action, intersections turn into free-for-alls, forcing drivers to edge forward aggressively while pedestrians risk their lives weaving through moving vehicles.
External pressures have worsened the situation. Ongoing construction at Satwari Chowk, Kunjwani Chowk and along the Narwal Road has significantly reduced road capacity. Add to this the Darbar Move, winter migration traffic from Kashmir and Ladakh, and the marriage season, and the scale of mismanagement becomes glaring. In such circumstances, the absence of a functional signal system is not a minor lapse—it is an administrative failure.
Equally troubling is the Jammu Municipal Corporation’s inability to curb footpath encroachments. With pavements taken over by vendors and illegal structures, pedestrians are forced onto the roads, shrinking carriageways and intensifying congestion. Unregulated reharis have become choke points, slowing traffic further and heightening accident risks.
The environmental cost is substantial. Vehicles idling endlessly in traffic jams waste fuel and push pollution levels to dangerous limits, particularly during winter when air quality is already fragile. Adding to public anger is the perception of selective enforcement: while traffic lights remain dead, challan cameras continue to operate efficiently, penalising motorists who are often left with no choice but to navigate chaos.
Manual traffic regulation, though imperfect, remains the only immediate relief. Deploying personnel primarily for challan collection while roads remain gridlocked defeats the purpose of traffic management. Traffic police deployment must be realigned to ensure smooth flow, especially during peak hours.
What Jammu needs is not cosmetic repairs or routine assurances but a comprehensive, ground-level strategy. Signal locations must be reassessed, systems restored and synchronised with real-time traffic conditions. Traffic police data on bottlenecks should inform redesigned flow patterns. Strict one-way routes, enforced no-entry zones, fully manned roundabouts and decisive removal of encroachments are no longer optional—they are urgent necessities.
Ultimately, responsibility rests collectively with the district administration, Jammu Municipal Corporation, Jammu Smart City Limited and the Traffic Police. Without decisive action, accountability and planning rooted in reality, the promise of a “smart” traffic system will remain hollow. Until then, Jammu’s commuters will continue to pay the price—every single day.
