| Dilapidated roads make tourist destinations inaccessible | | 16 km stretch to Thein dam in shambles, officials unmoved | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 28: Dilapidated roads leading to tourist destinations in Jammu region have put a question mark over the tall claims of the administration about promoting tourism and tapping the potential of these scenic spots.
One such link to a tourist destination of district Kathua is Ranjit Sagar Dam and to reach there is just a difficult task, given the pathetic condition of over 16 kilometres road stretch from Basantpur to Thein.
“To reach Thein Dam site one has to cover a distance of over 30 kilometres from Lakhanpur. The two lane road from Lakhanpur to Basantpur Higher Secondary School is in good condition and one can reach there only in half an hour but the remaining road length is totally in shambles with potholes and even at some stretches the metallic traces are hardly visible”, a local said. Another visitor said that for covering the distance of around 16 kilometres from Basantpur to Thein Dam, takes over one hour in a personal vehicle. “The potholes are so big and deep at certain places that a car owner can hardly cross the speed of 20 kilometres. At some places, the road stretch has been washed away, while at some places landslides have come, which are yet to be completely cleared”, a visitor said, adding that for harnessing the tourism potential of any destination, there should be proper roads, which are absent in case of Thein Dam destination, which has good tourism potential. An official of the department informed that the widening of the road project from Basantpur to Thein Dam was allotted to a contractor, who failed to complete the project, despite expiry of the time mentioned in the tender document. “Due to the non-completion of widening project, the department has been repairing the road temporarily,” the official said. Executive Engineer of PWD Kathua Tajinder Gupta said that the widening of the road project from Basantpur to Thien Dam has been delayed due to delay in environmental clearance from the Wildlife department. “Few kilometres stretch of road falls in Wildlife’s limits, for which the department needs clearance, which is pending”, Gupta said, adding that though the project was in languishing-projects, funds were available and after the clearance from Wildlife department, the work would be completed.
He further said that tenders have also been floated for repairs and maintenance of road to the tune of over Rs. 30 Lakhs and shortly the repairs would be done by the department. |
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