Srinagar, Feb 22: Anyone caught in Srinagarís evening gridlock doesnít need official data to know the roads are under strain.

But the numbers confirm the daily frustration: Jammu and Kashmir now has more than 27.36 lakh registered vehicles, while the total road network stretches roughly 41,141 km – a figure that has seen little change even as the vehicle count rises year after year.

At the end of 2024-25, the total registered fleet – public and private combined – stood at 27,36,197 vehicles.

During that financial year alone, 1,69,012 new vehicles were added.

The momentum has continued into 2025-26, with another 1,47,448 vehicles registered up to December.

That translates to nearly 67 vehicles for every kilometre of road.

In a region where large portions of the network pass through mountains, roads remain closed during winter or narrow down to single-lane stretches, that ratio carries more weight than it would in the plains.

A senior transport official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the geography makes comparisons with other states misleading.

ìYou cannot look at our road-to-vehicle ratio the same way you would for a flat state. A kilometre of road here simply cannot handle the same traffic volume,î he said.

Responsibility for maintaining the road network is divided among several agencies.

The Roads and Buildings Department manages around 24,000 kilometres across the Jammu and Kashmir divisions.

Other stretches fall under PMGSY, the Border Roads Organisation, NHAI, and NHIDCL. National Highways – critical for inter-regional connectivity – account for just over 1750 kilometres.

For a fleet of over 27 lakh vehicles, that is a heavy load, especially given frequent disruptions from landslides, snow, and flash floods.

The government points to ongoing projects as evidence of progress.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year inaugurated the Sonamarg Tunnel, providing an all-weather link on the Srinagar-Leh route, and laid the foundation for widening National Highway-701 between Rafiabad and Kupwara.

In addition, 316 road projects covering 1781 kilometres have been sanctioned under PMGSY-IV for J&K.

However, infrastructure projects in the region often face delays due to terrain and weather conditions.

Meanwhile, vehicle registrations continue to climb steadily each month, widening the gap between demand and capacity.

In response, the Transport Department has focused on regulation and digitisation.

Services like driving licences, vehicle registration, and fitness certificates now fall under the Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011, with most processes handled online through the VAHAN and SARATHI platforms.

During 2025-26 up to December, the department issued 1.01 lakh new driving licences, renewed 70,153, granted 8306 fresh fitness certificates and renewed 73,962 more.

An Intelligent Traffic Management System – featuring red-light violation detection cameras, automatic number plate recognition, and an e-challan system  has also been introduced to strengthen enforcement.

The department has also issued licences to 11 cab aggregators, including OLA and UBER, formalising the ride-hailing sector, particularly in Srinagar.

Fare revisions for private operators are reviewed in consultation with stakeholders to prevent sudden increases that could burden commuters.

However, revenue figures suggest challenges remain.

Against a target of Rs 1530 crore for 2025-26, the department has collected Rs 706.35 crore up to December, less than half the annual goal.

Two major projects – the Institute of Drivers Training and Research (IDTR) and the Inspection and Certification Centre (ICC) – are under construction and expected to improve driver training standards and vehicle fitness monitoring.

Yet experts argue that better regulation alone will not resolve congestion.

Srinagar, Feb 22: The University of Kashmir (KU) launched a four-year Integrated Teacher Education Programme (ITEP) for aspiring teachers.

According to the officials, the motive of this programme is to provide future teachers with modern and professional training.

“This is a teacher education programme which is for the students who have completed their 10+2 examinations,” an official said.

The official said that earlier students after completing their graduation would B.Ed to become eligible for teacher posts.

“But this initiative is beautiful in the sense that after completing 12th class studies, a student gets a choice to go for teaching as he or she is free to choose medical courses or some humanities courses if they are desirous to pursue. ITEP becomes a choice for them or a platform for them to decide their future in advance,” the official said. The KU will enroll the first batch of students from the current year.

“With ITEP students get an opportunity in advance that if you are ready or motivated to become a teacher then after 12th, you are trained and polished to become a future teacher if you pursue this course,” the official said.

The official said if students complete three years, they will get a three-year BA degree and if they complete 4 years, then they will get the BA-B Ed degree.

“This is a dual degree course, which is not true about the rest of the teacher education courses run in the department of education,” the official said.

President Private Schoolsí Association of J&K (PSAJK), welcomed the initiative and congratulated the University administration and the vice chancellor Prof. Nilofer Khan for taking this progressive step toward strengthening the foundation of teacher education in J&K.

“Introduction of the integrated programme is visionary and aligned with the spirit of NEP 2020. J&K has been grappling with a persistent shortage of professionally trained teachers across both government and private sectors,” Baba said.

He said the current intake capacity alone cannot bridge the widening gap between demand and supply of trained teachers in the next five years.

ìThe pace at which we are producing trained educators is far below the pace at which classrooms are expanding,î he said.

President PSJK urged the university to consider extending the integrated programme to affiliated private colleges, with strict riders of quality infrastructure, faculty standards, and instructional excellence.

ìUnless we open such facilities to credible private institutions under robust regulatory frameworks, the teacher deficit will continue to widen. Quality control and expansion must go hand in hand,î he said.

He further urged the government to earmark dedicated budgetary allocations for structured upskilling programmes for teachers up to the middle level in both private and government schools.

ìTeacher capacity building must not remain symbolic. It must be systematic, funded, and measurable,î he said.

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