Jahangeer Ganaie
Shopian, Sep 26: A vital bridge over Ranbiara in Trenz area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district is awaiting completion even as the construction work was taken up in 2017.
Locals from different areas of Shopian and Pulwama informed that the construction of the bridge was started in 2017, but it hasn’t been completed as the work was repeatedly put on halt due to unknown reasons.
During the last seven years, the work was started several times but left midway without completing it due to which the locals were facing hardships.
Mir Aasif, a local resident social activist, said that in the last seven years, the pace of the work was very slow due to which the project is nowhere near completion.
He said that in absence of a bridge, the locals are facing problems while commuting towards Pulwama where hundreds of local residents have to reach for jobs, education and business purposes.
“If this bridge is completed, this will be the shortest route for us to reach Industrial Estate Lassipora Pulwama,” he said, adding that this route will pave the way for hundreds of fruit growers to fetch their produce to cold store chains.
Basharat Ahmad, another local said that work is going on the bridge but it is very slow and if the pace of the work is the same, it will take years for the completion.
Locals said that they are waiting for the day when this bridge will be completed.
They said Trenz village in Shopian is close to Pulwama also and this bridge will benefit the people of both districts.
The locals said that they have taken up this issue into the notice of concerned authorities several times but to no avail.
They urged the concerned authorities to pace up the work and complete this bridge at an earliest.
An official of R&B said that the bridge is 600 meter long and is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 31 crore.
He said that work on the bridge is going on and it will be completed as soon as possible. The official said that R&B took over the charge of the bridge recently after JKPCC was merged and in the last six months good progress has been made in this regard.
The official said that work is going on at full pace and the project is near completion as 70 per cent of the work has already been completed and very soon the bridge will be completed.
