Tauseef Ahmad
GUREZ-BANDIPORA, June 17: Residents of Angi Kot Village of Tulail Gurez Bandipora expressed strong resentment against the authorities for not coming up with a concrete bridge in their area.
The natives said that the present wooden bridge that connects hundreds of households with Tulail village has not seen any repairs or a replacement in the last over 70 years. Muhammad Sultan , a local, said that the bridge had developed big holes on both sides, posing a serious risk to the lives of commuters.
Another resident Ghulam Rasool said that the village is located around 123 km from district headquarter Bandipora, “We are suffering since independence. Our grievance had not been addressed yet. The village still has a wooden bridge and no vehicle can cross this bridge. The village remains disconnected from other villages the whole year,” he added. “Last year a minor girl fell into the stream from an unrepaired hole of this bridge,” he said. “Luckily, with the timely efforts of the locals, the girl’s life was saved but she was injured severely.”
The residents said that the construction material-laden trucks were not able to cross the bridge, adding to the miseries of the local villages. “We are forced to pay extra for carrying construction material across the bridge.”
Gurez valley remains cut almost six months from other parts of the district due to heavy snowfall during winters, “We approached higher officials many times but no one cares about poor people in winters. In emergency situations we carry patients on a cot. We had to travel 10 km on foot to reach sub center because we do not have proper road connectivity in absence of bridge in our village”, he said
“Our political leaders visit us during election time and after that we never see anybody coming to inquire about our wellbeing,” said Fatima, a local girl.
The residents appealed LG Manoj Sinha and district Administration Bandipora to look into the matter and resolve their genuine grievances as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, executive engineer Rural development department Gurez said that the department has submitted a proposal for that bridge and it will be constructed by the end of this year.
