Srinagar, Sept. 17 -- Srinagar's Smart City journey has reached a point where numbers alone no longer tell the story. Projects worth thousands of crores have been completed, plazas and pedestrian zones have been built, and public spaces have been reshaped. Yet the question that dominates the ground is whether this transformation is working for the people who live and trade in the city. Now the question is not about how much has been constructed, but whether the infrastructure functions, is maintained and supports daily life and business activity.

The experience of Lal Chowk and Polo View Market shows how quickly the promise of new assets can fade when upkeep and access are overlooked. Fountains that once drew crowds now stand broken, ped...