Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Mar 7: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president and Member of Parliament from Srinagar Dr Farooq Abdullah today underlined the urgency of better road connectivity in J&K saying better surface connectivity facilities in a mosaic of geographical diversity, hilly and inaccessible terrains, remoteness of areas and weather vagaries should be given preference.
This he said while interacting with a people’s delegation that called on him at his Srinagar residence today. The delegation, headed by Wali Mohd Rather had come from Marwah-Dachan area in Kishtwar.
The delegation apprised the Party president about a plethora of issues concerning their region, particularly the delay in the construction of Chenger (Marwah)- Bonda (Chatroo), Dangduru to Hanzal tunnels in Kishtwar. They said that work on all major road and tunnel projects in Chenab has been put into cold storage.
Local people are suffering on different counts due to the absence of all-weather connectivity with nearby district headquarters and other major towns and cities. The construction of tunnels in the region, the delegation said, will provide a new lease of life to the far-flung region. They also said that absence of round the year surface connectivity in Marwah-Dachan area has severely impacted the development prospects, ease of living, and availability of public utility services in the far-flung region.
Echoing the sentiments of the visiting delegation, Dr Farooq said that the necessity of tunnels, culverts, bridges and roads is central to development of any region. “There has been a longstanding demand for construction of Sadhna Pass, Z Morh, Simthan-Deksum, Chenger (Marwah)- Bonda (Chatroo), Dangduru to Hanzal tunnels. A few projects were lately taken up by the Govt of India owing to their strategic importance but unfortunately many other such projects are still awaiting a go-ahead from the Government,” he said.
The significance of tunnels in J&K is due to its ability to provide round the year connectivity in a geographically arduous and diverse region of ours.
“Such tunnels will drastically reduce the travel time and also provide a safe passage from weather vagaries. Such projects also generate employment opportunities for locals by helping locally grown agriculture produce reach nearest Mandis on time. Better surface transportation networks will also boost the tourism sector in the region. The demand of Pir Panjal – Shopian, Simthan Deksum, Sadhna Pass and other tunnels in Chenab, Pir Panjal, is getting louder,” he added.
Expressing concord with the demands of the visiting delegation members on the issue, Dr Farooq said that he will take up the issue with the concerned ministry and also voice the delegation’s concerns in the Lok Sabha. He also assured the visiting delegation that holistic development of Chenab and Pir Panjal is high on the party agenda, adding that much of the surface connectivity in the region had come up during the successive NC led Governments.
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