SHAH KHALID
Srinagar, Mar, 17: As Pradhan Mantra Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY)- A government of India flagship programme to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations as a part of poverty reduction strategy by facilitating policy development and planning at the state level in order to ensure sustainable management of the rural roads, however, the tall claims fall flat in sub-division Chadoora, where there is no gradual work carried out on the village roads, by which the people of the area have been left unabated from the last couple of years.
The inordinate delay by the district administration to undertake the up-gradation and maintenance of Report-Zuhsma road in Sub-division Chadoora, is in extremely dilapidated conditions, taking a heavy toll on commuters, in absence of its repairs, as the road is in extremely dilapidated and shabby dotted with holes by which slight rainfall leads to waterlogging causing massive inconvenience to inhabitants of this Budgam village.
The residents of Chadoora subdivision are up in arms against district administration and state Roads and Buildings department for not paying any kind attention towards this vital road which connects dozens of villages with Budgam with district headquarter Budgam, which is especially witnessed huge flow of traffic from Nagam Hafroo Shipora Borwa and other dozens of villages during peak hours when Chadoora Nagam road is witnessing frequent traffic Jams.
According to locals the gross negligence by the R&B department is the main concern by which the area is not witnessing any fury of blacktopping activity for decades. however, locals of Zuhama, Kether, and Ranger had alleged that the PMGSY department is only drafting Detailed Project Reports (DPR), which seems only a mere wash, the locals alleged.
Ghulam Rasool a resident of Ranger village had told Kashmir Despatch that all the interior and exterior roads leading from Ripar to Zuhama are quite dilapidated, with water being submerged by light rains, by which our school-going children are facing severe hardships during bad weather conditions.
Sajad Ahmad, a local teacher, told this correspondent that most of the roads of our area are in need of repairing, but the irony is that government officials are still sleeping, as still, they are not paying any attention to these shabby roads. He also told the correspondent that there is no longer enough transport of Sumo vehicles, as they have a fair that the wear-tear of their vehicles may get damaged, due to ditches on the road, which makes it difficult for the school-going students. locals have alleged that the road has also witnessed a fury of blacktopping activity in 2010, how, but the patchwork and macadamization has not been carried out for unknown reasons.
“Despite the passing of nearly five years the R&B has failed completely to upgrade and macadamize this vital road. “Various times we have approached the R&B department by representations, they have denied to carry out any work, as according to them the road has been taken over by concerned PMGSY Department,” the aggrieved residents told Kashmir Despatch. The angry commuters accused the concerned department of having failed to carry out necessary widening and repairing of road. Locals are now demanding the intervention of Deputy Commission Budgam to take into account the hardships faced by the inhabitants.
Meanwhile, the official site of PMGSY revealed that the under 2019-2020 financial year 467 habitations have been put on target, but still only 147 has been connected still far in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, leading a vast of target unattended.
When this correspondent contacted R&B division Chadoora, an officer said, “that the road has been taken over by PMGSY division from a couple of years, as we have no details about this road. when this newspaper contacted Assitant Executive Engineer PMGSY Division Chadoora, Ibrahim Sherwani, he told this correspondent that “There were some hindrances of road encroachment, as our department had written to the concerned revenue department to have a demarcation drive in the area, so that our department can go to carry out the work, as we have finalized all arrangments for macadamization and widening.
