Endless jams, swirling dust, and the cost of official indifference Every afternoon, as office hours end and schools close, the Kashmir Valley comes to a standstill. From Qamarwari to Pantha Chowk, from Anantnag to Sopore, the same picture repeats itself: endless queues of honking vehicles, frustrated commuters trapped for hours in what should have been a 20‑minute ride, and clouds of dust hanging low over roads that resemble construction sites more than lifelines. This is not an occasional inconvenience.