| 8 years on, R&B Deptt yet to complete Bridge | | | Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Early Times Report
Srinagar, May 19: In yet another instance of neglect and apathy of Roads and Building Department, the vital Qamarwari, Norbagh Bridge that proposed to connect several areas here in the Srinagar city is awaiting its completion for past eight years.
Sources said that the authorities in the Roads and Building (R&B) department have miserably failed to complete the project on time as it has so far missed several deadlines.
The work over the construction of the alternative bridge was started in June 2011 at the estimated cost of Rs 9.85 crore while the bridge was supposed to get completed in June 2014. "The government had assured that the bridge would be completed in four years. In view of importance of the bridge, people living on two sides of Jhelum in the area extended cooperation to the authorities. Ironically, they have failed to complete the project within stipulated time," a local told Early Times.
Locals fear that due to snail's pace of work on the project, the construction of the bridge will be delayed further.
The project has already missed several deadlines. After public pressure, authorities had re-fixed the deadline as December 2017, but it failed to meet the deadline yet again.
"It has become a routine for authorities to initiate a project, construct some pillars or plinth and then abandon it," said, another local."It is unfortunate that government always extends deadlines rather than making officials accountable for their failure to complete projects on time," said one of the shopkeepers.
The bridge missed its first deadline in 2014. Later Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti promised that the bridge would be thrown open by March 2017. The deadline was later extended to December 2017, which was missed again.
Officials in the R&B, department said that due to encroachments in the area, the construction process was delayed. "Now the construction process is going on in full swing and we are hopeful that the Bridge will be completed soon." |
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