Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Sept 13: The slow pace of work on much-awaited bridge at Shamsipora village of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district has irked the residents of nearly half a dozen villages, who are awaiting completion of the connecting link for last eight years.
The local residents said that the authorities were putting patience of the people to test as the residents had been awaiting construction of the bridge for over eight years. “We have already suffered a lot for last nearly nine years and slow pace of the construction work is adding to our miseries. The authorities are moving at snail’s pace and the way the construction process is undergoing, the bridge will take another decade to complete,” said Mohammad Ramzan, a local.
The locals alleged that much-needed project was marred by political indifference towards them. “Authorities were never serious about the project as they took nearly six years in deciding the location of the bridge. If the Government has completed other development works, which were taken up along with our bridge, then why is the construction work on the bridge lingering on for last several years? Some of the politicians are not happy with the people of this area and they are, in a way, punishing us,” they asked.
The residents of dozen other villages including Shamsipora, Frisal, Arwani, Redwani, and Yaripora said the bridge, if completed, would have reduced their travel time from 25 minutes to 10 minutes.
When contacted, Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) Manager, Shabir Ahmad, said they did not get traffic clearance for the transportation of the raw material for the fabrication of the central stand of the bridge. “We did not get traffic clearance for four months due to adverse weather conditions. The vehicle carrying the raw material was granted permission in the first week of May,” he said.
The JKPCC official also said that they have already completed the two stands and the work on the center stand is underway. “We have completed two stands and the fabrication of the center stand is underway,” he said. He, however, blamed a land dispute between locals and the unrest of 2016 for the delay.
“Soon after we started the construction work, a land dispute emerged between different land owners and it took a lot of time to settle the issue. Also, during the unrest of 2016, our laborers, who were responsible for the fabrication, left the Valley. It badly dented the project,” the official added.
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