Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Sep 8: After 26 years, a vital road in Bani Tehsil of Kathua district is awaiting completion.
Locals from the Bani area of Kathua said that work on Lowang-Baugh started in 1997 and is still incomplete.
They said the four kilometer road was sanctioned in the District Plan, but hardly one kilometer is completed in 26 years, that too without any side walls and protection walls.
Mudasar Ali, a local social activist, said that work was abandoned soon after it was started and since then no work has been done on it.
“Currently the road is lying in a very dilapidated condition making it prone to accidents. Any untoward accident may happen anytime if no attention is not given up,” he said.
Locals said that the government must constitute a committee to enquire why no work has been taken up for around three decades.
“We are facing a lot of inconveniences due to the dilapidated condition of the road especially during emergencies,” they said.
The worst affected are young children, ailing people and aged persons who are forced to talk or travel on potholed and dilapidated roads,” locals said.
They have sought intervention of LG Manoj Sinha and Deputy Commissioner Kathua in this regard.
They said it was proposed that the project would be completed under Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) but remained in papers only.
Officials of PMGSY, however, said there is no such proposal and plan before them and it may be with the R & B department.
Officials of the R&B department also said that work on the road was started under district plan but locals had later objected to construction demanding compensation for land and property.
They said that there is no proposal with them as of now.
