Umaisar Gull Ganie
Kulgam, Oct 1: The residents of Paniwah in south Kashmir’s Kulgam are distraught as Irrigation and Flood Control Department (I&FC) has failed to complete the under-construction bridge, resulting in severe hardships to the locals.
The vital bridge was among more than half a dozen bridges that was washed away by the 2014 September floods.
The residents said that the work on the bridge was started in February this year by I&FC but has been left half way. They said that the bridge, once completed, would give a boost to the horticulture sector and several villages could become accessible.
“The old wooden bridge was damaged in September 2014 floods and the temporary bridge is not less than a death trap,” Jalal-ud-din, a resident of Paniwah said.
“October-November are busy months with respect to apple harvesting and with non availability of bridges we are now using horses to carry apple boxes which costs a lot of money,” he said.
Locals demanded speedy completion of the bridge so that people of the area will heave a sigh of relief.
AEE I&FC Kulgam division, Raj Kumar said that due to high flow of water in the Nallah the work was stopped in February.
“The irrigation season was completed on September 30 and the water level is low now,” he said. “The remaining work will start this week.”
