Srinagar, Aug. 27 -- Srinagar has turned congestion into an economic expense, and the bill is becoming far too large to ignore.

A University of Kashmir study estimates that traffic jams on six major routes cost the city's economy about Rs.6.99 crore a day.

That amounts to roughly Rs.2,550 crore a year, a staggering price for a city that still treats traffic as an inconvenience rather than an economic crisis.

The figure becomes more revealing when viewed through daily life.

A shopkeeper loses potential customers when roads become difficult to access. Workers spend productive hours inside buses and cars. Students lose classroom time, patients face delays and delivery vehicles burn additional fuel while inching through crowded corridors....