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| Finally, makeshift bridge set up at Budgam playground | | |
Early Times Report
BUDGAM, June 25: The Rural Development Department, with cooperation of local youth of Wathoora in Budgam district, has finally set up a makeshift wooden bridge on Doodh Ganga nallah paying way for connecting the beautiful playground with main road.
Sources say that this was done all in jiffy as top officials of Youth Services and Sports Department are visiting the village as part of 'Back to Village' programme on June 26.
The absence of makeshift bridge was reported by Early Times in its Tuesday edition. In order to play safe, officials of local BDO office decided to erect a small wooden bridge with the sole objective of not getting insulted during the 'Back to Village' programme meeting which would be held at Wathoora on Wednesday and Thursday (June 26 and 27).
As reported already a lush green 115 kanal playground at Wathoora, Chadoora in Budgam district which could have developed into international stadium has been neglected and not even Rs 5 to 6 lakhs are made available for constructing a foot bridge that would make easy access to the playfield as the same surrounded by water from all the four sides.
Notwithstanding the fact that three boys have drowned to death while attempting to cross the Doodh Ganga Wathoora in past years, the administration failed even to connect the ground with main road that leads to Srinagar and Chadoora.
From last 40 years locals have been requesting the authorities to construct a foot bridge at Wathoora which could connect the play ground with the main road (Srinagar-Chadoora road ) but till date nothing has materialized while as many stadiums were constructed during last 10 years.
Local residents say that local legislator of the area has also cheated them with hollow slogans as he did nothing in this regard during last 20 years. Local residents say that they don't want international stadium but want strong and viable footbridge.
Pertinently, the playground is located across the Doodh Ganga river at Shahpora-Wathoora where boys generally try to cross the nallah and during summers when the water level rises and the danger of drowning increases.
"Three boys drowned to death as they walked through the canal in past," said Mohammad Yusuf, a local resident and cricketer.
Reports say that more than 115 kanals of state land (Khah Charai) is available at Shahpora on the Srinagar-Charar-e-sharief road and this state land is being used by the youth as a playground, but authorities have never given a serious thought about the same and only DPRs have been prepared in past which were never executed.
"We were told that the Sports Authority of India had sanctioned Rs 10 crore for developing this playground into a stadium, but till date no formal work has been started and the absence of a foot bridge is a long pending demand of the local youth. In order to save themselves from insult, the officials of RDD Chadoora cut two popular trees from local Panchayat and assembled them into a makeshift bridge on Tuesday with the help of local youth. This could have been done earlier also. We fail to understand why NREGA funds could not be utilized for setting up a bridge on Doodh Ganga to connect it with cricket ground. This would have cost hardly few lakh rupees," said Dr Muzaffar, a local resident. |
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