Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, Sept 17: The dilapidated condition of Lasjan- Kadlabal road in the outskirts of Srinagar has become a nightmare for the commuters, especially for the school children and the sick people.
Although the Roads and Building Department is focusing on blacktopping and restoration of flood-affected roads, certain regions are facing neglect. One such road is Kadlabal- Lasjan, which connects several villages of South Kashmir with Srinagar city. It is dotted with big potholes, making walking and driving ordeal.
The residents said that they have submitted memoranda to the officials several times, and also held protests, but nothing has been done to macadamize the damaged roads. The villages including Samerboog, Shaluna, Zoonipora and Lasjan are worst affected. “We have been waiting for the repair of roads for several years, but nobody is taking an interest. Several deputations have raised the issue with the administration and the local but to no avail,” Abdul Hamid Wani, a resident of Shailuna village said.
The locals of several villages lamented that their problems exacerbate during rains when potholes are filled with water making the commute a herculean task, especially for two-wheelers. They said the patients and students are the worst hit. “Taking pregnant women and patients to hospital is a major challenge. The bumpy ride can hurt both mother and the child,” Abdul Ahad Dar, a local said, adding the authorities were paying least attention to the road as it has not seen any repair work for years.
The residents said that after a gap of more than six years the road was blacktopped and they were expecting the complete macadamization of the road but a half-built road has plunged surrounding neighborhoods into dismay, “I haven’t seen any repair work on the road for last five-six years. The authorities started the macadamization of their road but left it midway for the reasons best known to them, “Abdul Jabbar, a local said.
While explaining the importance of the link road, the commuters said that in the peak hours traffic jam at the Pantha Chowk bypass forced people to take the route and reach the southern parts of the valley, “With the increase in the number of vehicles the road has become an important diversion to avoid the traffic jam and to save time and energy. However, authorities are turning a blind eye towards the problems people face on the road. The worst suffers are students and patients,” they added.
Chief Engineer Roads and Building Department, Sami Arif, when contacted said that they were planning to widen the road and that project has been approved by the World Bank. “The project has been approved and DPRs have been prepared. We are planning to construct better road connectivity to these areas and the process is at the final leg,” he said, adding with a project cost of Rs 40 crores the department would construct a 20 kilometers road stretch from Kadlabal to Rambagh.
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