news details |
|
|
| Mughal Road | | | The Mughal Road, providing an alternative link between the winter and summer capitals of the state, has again met a roadblock. This time it are the State Pollution Control Board and Wild Life protection authorities who have placed obstacle in the smooth way of construction of the road between Bafliaz, off Rajouri in Poonch district of Jammu region and Shopian in the Pulwama district of Kashmir valley, on the ground that the high altitude road passes through some thick forests, disturbing the rare wild species inhabiting the forests. The construction of alternative road linking two regions of the state and providing opening to the Kashmir valley through an alternative route, has already crossed several bottlenecks in its way. The construction of the road, along the ancient pony route adopted by Mughal emperors, during their summer sojourns to the vale of Kashmir from the capital of their kingdom, Lahore, was originally conceived as back as in 1958. A special division of State Public Works Department was created for conducting survey of the road. After its technical feasibility was approved, the Ministry of Defence of government of India put its foot on the project, on the grounds of security and defence of the interior from Pakistan, which always had been having evil eye on Kashmir. The project was shelved after incurring heavy expenditure on conducting the survey of the road. The project was again revived in 1976 by the then state Chief Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. But the memories of Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 still haunting the defence authorities of the country, the ministry of defence again put its foot on the implementation of the project. However, with the conventional warfare having become redundant and the same assuming a more sophisticated and logistic character and instead of hostilities on the surface, air strikes assuming more importance, the authorities in the defence cleared the project when it was again brought before them for approval in the year 2000. Besides proving an alternative link between the two regions of the state, the construction of Mughal road will open some new areas in the far interior both on the Jammu side and on the Kashmir side, leading to their development. The dependence on the only one road linking Kashmir with Jammu and through it to the rest of the country is wrought with several risks. Due to frequent landslides, particularly during heavy rains and snowfall the road invariably gets blocked and the entire valley is cut off from the rest of the country, with all the hardships faced by the common man. The existence of alternative road is highly important on this account. It will also shorten the distance for the people of Poonch and Rajouri visiting Kashmir and vice-versa. This will also establish a new trade route between the hilly areas of Jammu with Kashmir, through Shopian. Hence the construction of this road is highly important from many angles. Any obstacle or delay in the construction of the road on trifles is not in the interest of the overall development and welfare of the people on both sides. In this connection there was dire need for evolving a system of single window for the clearance of the project from all the concerned authorities. It is hoped that the roadblock in the way of completion of the project will be soon removed and the same will be completed soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
