Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, June 5: An inordinate delay in the completion of a bridge at Pandhrethan area of city here has irked the residents of nearly half a dozen areas situated on both sides of the river Jhelum.
An official at Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) said after taking nearly two years in deciding the location for the construction of the Bridge, the Government in year 2012 started the construction work on 120 meters double lane bridge at Pandhrethan but lost pace due to the paucity of funds.
“Out of a total project cost of Rs 13.33 crores, only Rs 6.65 crores were released until last financial year which really dented the construction work. This year the Government has released another two crores. The funds were released through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD),” he said.
The Bridge connects areas like Lasjan, Soibugh and Padhshahibagh to Srinagar via National Highway. The locals from Soiteng, Lasjan, Padshahibagh, Athwajan, Pandhrethan, Batwara, Sonawar and other adjoining areas lamented Government’s lackadaisical approach towards the construction of the ‘vital connecting link’ and charged them with showing indifferent attitude towards the people.
“In the absence of the bridge, the locals are forced to walk several kilometres to reach to the other side of the embankment…the Government has failed to live up to their promises,” Abdul Majid, a local said. The locals claimed that the JKPCC carried the work slowly while alleging Government was overlooking the hardships that commuters face on daily basis.
“The construction work is moving at snail’s pace. Every time the locals raise the issue of the slow pace, the authorities would give different excuses. At times, the work is completely stopped for days and the authorities would employ a labourer or two to give the impression that the work is underway. They befool people,” the locals added.
They said presently, the Soiteng residents are risking their lives by boarding overcrowded fishing boats to cross the river at Batwara. “The boards could prove fatal anytime. The patients, particularly, expectant mothers have to use the same boats to reach to the other side of treatment and the facility goes off after Sunset as the area falls under a high-security zone,” the locals added.
While revealing their ordeal, they further said that initially the locals demanded a construction of a pedestrian bridge at Syed Abad Soiteng, which was the shortest distance to reach GB Pant hospital, and a higher Secondary school situated on the other side of the river but the Government skipped the proposal citing security reasons.
Deputy General Manager JKPCC, Feroz Ahmad said initially the construction work was stalled due to non-availability of funds but they have managed to complete the major portion of the bridge. “Around 80% of the construction work is complete and the remaining 20% will be finished by the end of this year. The work on the first span is complete and the second span was temporarily suspended due to increase in the water level,” he said.
When asked about the slow pace of construction work, he said: “The sudden increase in the level of water in the month of April stalled the construction work. By the end of July the water level is expected to recede and once water level goes down we will resume the construction work.”
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