Jammu’s Pothole-ridden roads: A call for action

By Omkar Dattatray

The condition of roads in Jammu has today reached a point where citizens are questioning whether the city is even moving forward in terms of development or sliding backward into chaos. The recent reports of September 2025, coupled with the lived experiences of residents across different localities, paint a grim and disturbing picture of the city’s road infrastructure.

Roads that once served as vital arteries for trade, travel, and daily movement have now been reduced to stretches of potholes, broken surfaces, and misaligned manholes. For commuters—whether government employees rushing to offices, traders heading to city markets, or students travelling to schools and colleges—these roads have turned into veritable traps of inconvenience and danger.

The situation is compounded by the continuous heavy rains and flash floods that the region has witnessed this season, which have not only deteriorated road surfaces further but have also worsened drainage problems, creating widespread waterlogging.

The plight of motorists on certain key routes reflects the urgency of the crisis. The stretch from Camp Road, Gole Gujral, to Talab Tillo Chowk has virtually ceased to be a road. Instead, it is described by residents as a series of craters stitched together by patches of asphalt that collapse within days of repair. The road is so bumpy that people joke there is less road and more pothole. However, the grim reality is that this dangerous terrain is leading to accidents, vehicle breakdowns, and avoidable injuries.

The situation is not much different on the road from Tomal, Anand Nagar Bohri, to Jewel Chowk, where the surface has been reduced to rubble. The Akalpur Chowk interior road, connecting to Muthi village, is another glaring example of the government’s indifference towards Jammu’s roads. Already narrow, this road has been eaten away by potholes, leaving little space for smooth navigation. Residents complain that driving here is less about steering a vehicle and more about negotiating obstacles, often forcing drivers onto unsafe edges or into oncoming traffic.

However, it is a matter of relief for ordinary people that this road has now been repaired. Taking a cue from this, the government should repair all the pothole-ridden and shabby roads of Jammu. But the moot question is: will the authorities do so? The condition of almost all the roads in Jammu remains similarly shabby, poor, and deplorable.

Traffic jams have become a daily ordeal. From Canal Road to Jewel Chowk, snarls are the order of the day, with bottlenecks lasting for hours, particularly during peak traffic periods. Vehicles slow down to crawling speeds, not due to traffic management issues alone but largely because drivers must cautiously negotiate the broken roads to save their vehicles from damage. This slowdown cascades into massive congestion, leaving commuters frustrated and wasting precious hours of the day.

The road connecting SOS School, Gole Gujral, to Bhagwati Nagar is another stretch in shambles. It is so riddled with cracks and depressions that school buses, auto-rickshaws, and private cars alike face the daily risk of breakdowns. For parents, this is a source of constant anxiety, as children travelling to school are exposed to unsafe conditions.

Beyond mere inconvenience, these roads have now become serious safety hazards. Open manholes, left without proper covers, present lethal traps, especially during waterlogging when they remain invisible beneath murky rainwater. Poor or non-existent street lighting in several areas further compounds the problem, making night driving a gamble with fate. There have been frequent reports of accidents where bikers have skidded over water-filled potholes or pedestrians have fallen while attempting to cross broken stretches. For the elderly and physically vulnerable, merely stepping outside becomes a dangerous exercise in maintaining balance through uneven pavements and submerged craters.

The issue of waterlogging stands out as a chronic problem that worsens the already poor condition of the roads. Jammu’s drainage system, already inadequate, has collapsed under the pressure of recent heavy rains. When water accumulates on these broken roads, it masks the depth and spread of potholes, making navigation treacherous. Pedestrians are forced to wade through ankle-deep or even knee-deep water, risking both accidents and water-borne diseases.

The absence of a systematic drainage upgrade has turned every spell of rainfall into a civic nightmare, with roads becoming temporary ponds and traffic grinding to a halt.

The economic impact of this crisis is significant. Vehicle owners are reporting unprecedented wear and tear on their cars, bikes, and even commercial vehicles. Repeated damage to tyres, shock absorbers, and suspensions is draining household budgets. Fuel consumption has also risen, as vehicles are forced to run in lower gears and move in stop-start patterns amid endless traffic jams.

For commercial vehicles, this means higher operational costs, delays in deliveries, and a cascading effect on local businesses. Traders lament that the situation not only affects the transportation of goods but also discourages customers from visiting markets located in areas with damaged roads. A city that aspires to expand its trade and industry cannot afford to neglect the foundational infrastructure of its roads, which form the very backbone of economic activity.

Despite these glaring problems, the official response has remained limited and cosmetic. Authorities have attempted to fill potholes using temporary materials such as loose gravel and asphalt patches. However, these quick fixes have proved short-lived, with rains washing away the patchwork within days and leaving the roads worse than before.

This piecemeal approach reflects a lack of long-term planning and commitment to quality. Residents and civic bodies, including members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have repeatedly raised the alarm, filing complaints and urging the authorities to take concrete measures. Community representatives such as Thakur Hoshiar Singh have stood with the people in amplifying these concerns, but their appeals often meet with bureaucratic silence or half-hearted assurances.

What Jammu needs is not stopgap solutions but a comprehensive overhaul of its road infrastructure. Experts have long argued that the city requires scientifically designed, weather-resistant road surfacing capable of withstanding both heavy monsoon rains and the increasing vehicular load. Alongside this, a modernised drainage system must be put in place to prevent repeated erosion of road surfaces due to waterlogging.

Traffic management, too, needs rethinking, with smoother diversions and better monitoring to prevent endless jams. Street lighting and proper signage are essential safety measures that cannot be overlooked if accidents are to be reduced.

The residents of Jammu are growing restless, and their patience is wearing thin. Their frustration is not misplaced, as daily commutes have become ordeals and their hard-earned money is being drained by avoidable vehicle repairs. Many feel betrayed by the hollow promises of development and Smart City projects, which continue to be announced in the media but remain invisible on the ground.

For the elderly trying to reach temples or hospitals, for schoolchildren commuting daily, for traders ferrying goods, and for ordinary citizens striving to live lives of dignity, Jammu’s road crisis is not merely an issue of infrastructure; it is a matter of basic rights and civic neglect.

It is high time the administration realised that good roads are not luxuries but necessities. They are the foundations of mobility, safety, and economic vitality. Ignoring them means putting lives at risk, stifling trade, and breeding public anger.

Jammu deserves better than crumbling streets and endless traffic jams. The time has come for the authorities to abandon temporary fixes and launch a serious, accountable, and time-bound plan to restore the city’s roads. Anything less would not merely amount to negligence; it would constitute a betrayal of the people’s trust.

Let me conclude this write-up with an Urdu couplet:

“Hukumat naam hai sabse be-hiss hone ka.”

(Government, at times, becomes synonymous with being utterly insensitive.)

(The author is a columnist, social activist, KP activist, and freelancer.)