Mir Farhat
Srinagar, Jan 8: Failing to repair the damaged highway stretch from Panthachowk to Awantipora, the National Highway Authority of India has roped in the State Government to repair the vital road as the company which was maintaining it has left it halfway after last year’s floods.
Hundreds of trucks and passenger vehicles get stranded everyday on this portion of the highway where the movement of the traffic is very slow.
Even though the narrow highway was damaged earlier as NHAI was lackadaisical in its maintenance, its condition deteriorated further after the September 2014 floods.
“The NHAI authorities are not bothered about the inconvenience faced by us. As the winter season is going on and snowfall and rain is expected in coming week, the travel will get more troublesome on the highway,” said Zahoor Ahmad, a passenger.
The road has developed huge pot holes and at Pampore the culverts have been washed away on its both sides near the bus stand.
Virendra Singh, Project Director NHAI, Srinagar unit, told Excelsior that they have requested the Jammu and Kashmir Government to execute the maintenance work after the private company working on it has some issues yet to be sorted out with its employees.
“We will provide funds to the Government to maintain and repair the damaged Highway,” Singh said, adding that NHAI has no internal resources to execute the work as they always carry it out through contractors and private companies.
“We drive our vehicles at very slow speed on this stretch. Normally, it takes more than an hour to travel from Anantnag to Srinagar. But today it takes three to four hours to reach Srinagar,” said Nazir Malik, a passenger vehicle driver.
The NHAI has been playing delaying tactics with the people as in October last year they had said they will soon start work on it. But the road is in the same condition as it was last year.
Singh said the Government is doing some maintenance work and the more damaged spots will be repaired on priority.
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