Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Dec 31: A six-kilometer road stretch from Galender area of Pampore to Panthachowk Bypass in the outskirts of Srinagar is in deplorable condition with locals accusing Government of ignoring the old highway following the opening of new alignment of NH-44.
Although the Road and Buildings Department carried macadamisation of the road stretch on NH-1 last year, a couple of portions were left unattended. “Macadamisation was not carried properly. They left the important places untouched. At some places only one-sided macadamisation was done. A travel on the stretch is a nightmare,” Rizwan Ahmad, a local said.
The worst portion being 1-kilometre stretch from Pantha chowk- Sampora where the surface is strewn with deep ditches and potholes, causing problems of commuting for the thousands of travelers every day. The commuters complained that the ditches have grown as deep as 1-2 metres and that shows the seriousness of the Government towards the problems of the people.
People allege that the problem appeared after Government allowed a local businessman to raise a residential colony on agricultural land. “He was allowed to ravage a vast swatch of paddy land and construct the houses,” a local said, requested not to be named.
He said that the road always remains submerged in water due to the lack of drainage. “The paddy land which used to be natural sink for the surface runoff was filled with soil. This lead to the accumulation of the water on the road and damaged the road surface,” he said.
The people have been complaining about the lax attitude of the authorities towards the road stretch ever since the opening of alternate route some years back. The road passes through the Pampore town and connects district Pulwama to Srinagar. “After the new highway they turned a blind eye towards this road stretch,”Ghulam Mohammad, a local said.
Sami Arif, Chief Engineer Roads and Buildings Department told Excelsior that the portions lacked proper drainage and it was unwise to macadamize the portions. “We are working on the drainage and the madcadasition would follow once that is done. We have not forgotten the old highway,” Sami Arif, Chief Engineer Roads and Buildings Department told Excelsior.
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