Sopore, Sep 28: The forest department’s intervention has been blamed by Rampur residents in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district for the halt in macadamizing the Rampur-Kenusa road, which is their only means of connectivity with the outside world.
The residents have expressed their disappointment and frustration with the forest department for interfering in the ongoing road construction work, claiming that it has only added to their problems.
According to the residents, the road was initially constructed in 2008, and the forest department did not intervene at that point. However, during the current macadamizing process, the forest department stopped the work just when the roads and bridges department was close to completion.
The residents have alleged that only half a kilometre of the road has been left unfinished because of the forest department’s actions, which they believe is unjust and a cause for concern for the poor residents of the area.
The Forest Conservator of North Kashmir, Irfan Rasool, told Kashmir Despatch that the issue is on the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department’s side. Despite being informed multiple times, they have not submitted the necessary NOC to the forest department and have unnecessarily started work on the road without following guidelines. He added that whenever they try to work, their department will not allow them to do so. However, he also stated that R&B needs to resolve the issue soon to prevent further inconvenience to the public.
Asadullah Xzen of the Roads and Buildings division in the Bandipora division told Kashmir Despatch that their department was not aware of the issue. He said if they had known about it, they would not have started the work on the road. The officer also mentioned that they had uploaded the NOC on the official portal 15 days prior, but the forest department is still not allowing them to complete the pending work.
