S.Tahir-ul- Haq
Early Times Report
Bandipora, Mar 20: Scores of villages in Bandipora district are up in arms against R&B department alleging poor road connectivity is compounding their miseries during recent weather hostilities.
"Roads are damaged by snowfall, and heavy rains in winter are yet to be repaired. The concerned authorities of R&B have given deaf ear to our problems," lamented locals.
According to sources, the link roads in Bandipora district are in a dilapidated conditions, the roads are dotted with big potholes which not only give commuters a bumpy ride but also roads hazardous to drivers especially to two wheelers. Scores of villages in Bandipora district Ashtangu, Brar, Banakoot, Chontimula, Malangam, Phalwanpora, Sonagam, and Takiya Ahmad Shah, protested against Roads and Building (R&B) Department for its callous attitude towards miseries of people.
Irked over the poor road connectivity, Ashtangoo, Banakoot and Phalwanpora residents told Early Times that the main roads of area have not been repaired by the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department for the past four years and due to rains and snow these roads are hardly motarable. "These turn nuisance especially during rains for the drivers," they added.
Fayaz Ahmad Bankoot told early Times that roads like Bandipora to Ashtingu, Malangam, Bankoot and Takiya Ahmad Shah, and other link roads are in bad condition and administration was not doing anything. While most of the roads were repaired in the Bandipora town, but roads in our far flung villages have been left unattended for over a decade now, said Fayaz. Mudasir Ahmad a college student said we usually reach college late for taking lectures as a 5-minute distance takes us more than half an hour.
According to locals, authorities had last year started repair work on few link roads but the work was never completed for the reasons best known to authorities. A senior official from R&B department on promised anonymity told early Times that, "The work on the link roads was suspended due to the paucity of funds. He however added the work shall be started in the coming months of April and May. |
