Several Bridges across valley awaits completion
Srinagar,CNS,10-Feb; Dozens of bridges in Kashmir Valley which, many have not been able to start have been pending for years, are yet to be completed. Incomplete work .Despite the completion of survey, either funds were not released or got lapsed due to one or other reason. There are many such bridges on which half of the estimated amount has been spent and half of the work has been stopped. The work of these bridges was either the responsibility of R&B department and then they were handed over to other construction agencies,
According to CNS, the construction of several bridges in different parts of the valley is a dream comes true for the people. A new bridge in Qamarwari area is being constructed by Roads and Building(R&B) department awaits completion for over nine years, while a bridge at Pandhrethan area is incomplete due to paucity of funds. The bridge is an important link as it connects the Old city, Soura, Hazratbal and Ganderbal areas with North-Kashmir, Qamarwari and Batamaloo.
The work on the 127mts long bridge which, according to R&B costs Rs 9.85 crore, was started in June 2011. Despite the end of second deadline which was in March 2018, R&B department has failed to construct the bridge in the given time frame.
Meanwhile, an incomplete bridge at Pandhrethan area of city here has irked the residents of nearly half a dozen areas situated on both sides of the river Jhelum.
Pandrathen bridge connects areas like Lasjan, Soiteng and Padhshahibagh to National Highway. The locals from Soiteng, Lasjan, Padshahibagh, Athwajan, Pandhrethan, Batwara, Sonawar and other adjoining areas lamented Government’s lackadaisical approach towards the construction of the “vital connecting link” and accused them with showing indifferent attitude towards the people of the area.
“In the absence of the bridge, the locals are forced to walk several kilometres to reach to the other side of the embankment…the Government has failed to live up to their promises,” Abdul Majid, a local said.
“The construction work is moving at snail’s pace. Every time the locals raise the issue of the slow pace, the authorities would give different excuses. At times, the work is completely stopped for days and the authorities would employ a labourer or two to give the impression that the work is underway. They befool people,” the locals said.
While revealing their ordeal, they further said that initially the locals demanded construction of a pedestrian bridge at Syed Abad Soiteng, which was the shortest distance to reach GB Pant hospital, and Higher Secondary school situated on the other side of the river but the Government skipped the proposal citing security reasons.
Similarly, even after elapsing of 15 years, a vital bridge on Jhelum at Dogripora in Awantipora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district is awaiting completion.
Locals from Dogripora said that the foundation of the bridge was laid in 2006 during PDP-Congress regime, however, since then 15 years have passed and even 50 percent hasn’t been completed yet.
The road bridge was also being constructed in Sempora area, at an estimated cost of Rs 13 crore. It was supposed to connect dozens of villages on the other side of the Jhelum to the old national highway, cutting down the commute of people living in these villages by a substantial amount of time.The work on the bridge, being executed by the Roads and Buildings department, commenced in 2017.
“After a few months of smooth construction process, the work on the bridge came to an abrupt halt due to some political meddling,” a local told CNS.
Local residents say that they have been moving from one office to another but nothing has been done to restart construction of the bridge. “Some officials tell us that there are no funds, while others say the delay is because of some administrative glitch,” Ghulam Rasool, a resident of Sempora said.
He said that the bridge would not only have benefited people on the other side of the Jhelum but would also have cut down the travel time of people in Pampore, Sempora and other areas to the Pulwama district headquarters.
Another bridge being constructed in the Pantha Chowk area on Pampore outskirts, a foot bridge, has met the same fate as the one in Sempora. “Some early work, conducted by the NABARD, was carried out and then the site was abandoned. We don’t know what happened afterwards,” a local, Manzoor Ahmad, told CNS.
Even as many years have passed since the construction work of three vital bridges over Jhelum began at Sumbal area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, the structures remained incomplete despite missing multiple deadlines.
Despite passing of eight years, the foot bridge at Sumbal town in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district awaits completion to much of public’s inconvenience.
The locals said construction of foot bridge over Jhelum at Sumbal town was started back in 2014, but left midway. The construction of footbridge was started after authorities dismantled old wooden bridge of the Sumbal town.
Similarly bridge in main market Sumbal will connect various areas like Nesbal, Naninar, Safapora, Hakabara, Asham, and Tengpora with Sumbal market. It is aimed to give a boost to local businesses and helped ease the pedestrian moment of across the River Jhelum.”
Similarly, work on the bridge at Shilwat Sonawari has been going on for many years but has missed several deadlines.
While speaking to CNS, one of the officer from R&B’s finance wing said that they brought most of the bridges that had been pending for years will be completed under languishing project scheme and also the concerned department and agencies have been asked to complete the construction of these bridges by the end of 2022. (CNS)