Monsoon rains fear haunt people
Avtar Bhat
SAMBA, June 4 : The woes of 25 villages consisting of a population of over 30,000 people are unending with constant delay in double lanning of Rs 30 crore Samba to Goran road via Sumb block, the construction of which was started over three years back by Roads and Building Department (R&B). The problem is not confined to these villages only but half a dozen other hamlets in the Kandi belt of Sumb also as these villages san road connectivity till date since independence despite the fact that the successive Governments have been making tall claims of linking every village through road network.
The Monsoon is round the corner and it haunts the people of Sumb block in Samba district in general and those of Kandi belt in particular who in last over 70 years of independence have been deprived of road connectivity.
The villagers said the Monsoon rains haunt them as they fare worst. “When it rains in upper reaches in some times, school and college going children are caught unaware while returning from schools and college in the afternoon and they can’t cross the river which is in spate”, said Ronal Singh a resident of Dabnu one of the Kandi villages in the area.
The problems of these hapless people do not end there. Though this Kandi belt is six to seven kms away from Goran, the authorities have also failed to widen the 21 kms road from Samba to Goran the work on which was started three years back and during the heavy rains and Monsoon the minibus and buses mostly hesitate to ply up to Goran and people have to visit 30 km long distance on foot. With a total length of 21 kms the road from Samba to Goran has been divided into two parts for construction purpose but as per sources work on both the parts of road is going on at a snail’s pace, with the result, a vast population of about 40, 000 people are facing hardships due to lack of connectivity.
According to sources, the worries of people have started increasing in view of coming Monsoon when the water level increases in the river Basanter and other two rivulets which flow in the area and are in full spate during the heavy rains especially in Monsoon. The Monsoon rains have started haunting the people from today as they are worried for their children who had to cross these rivers when in spate, sources added.
They said the Government had sanctioned the road in 2017 -2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore. The road has been divided into two parts, one part is from Samba to Sumb with a length of 10 kms and another was from Sumb to Goran with a length of 11 kms with two bridges on the two rivers passing via this part of the road.
The delay in construction of road is not only worrying the local people but also the thousands of devotees who throng here from various parts of Jammu region and other neighboring States visit to the famous shrine of Baba Goran as they too face a tough time in reaching the holy shrine to pay their obeisance during the rains.
The people of over half dozen villages in Sumb area are in a great dilemma as they remain disconnected with other parts of Jammu region during the time of heavy rains when the two streams overflow the banks, sources said, adding in last over 70 years of independence no successive Governments bothered to construct a road link to the area so that the people of this belt could also taste the fruits of development due to the lack of road connectivity.
Sources said on the first portion of road from Samba to Sumb metalling has been done up to six kms length while blacktopping was completed for the rest six kms. But for the remaining 11 kms from Sumb to Goran only soling has been laid while among the two bridges on two rivers the work on 30 metre span bridge is yet to start and on the another 70 metre span bridge four spans have been constructed and two are yet to be constructed.
To reach about the half dozen Kandi villages of this belt including Samota, Sodam, Dabnu, Kamtha, Sarla, Ludath, Bolian and Dagather who have been deprived road connectivity since independence, the people have to travel on foot via jungles. The locals said that due to lack of road connectivity, the people of these villages have also been deprived of other facilities of life like drinking water, power, education and health services and this entire belt has been one of the backward areas of the Union Territory of J&K.
Due to lack of road connectivity many time the ailing people don’t reach the hospital in time especially when the Basanter river is in spate during the Monsoons, said Preetam Chand Sarpanch Panchayat Halqa Samla. Though the area is about 30 kms away from district headquarter Samba, it has been neglected over the years by successive Governments and no body in the administration and the Government after independence bothered for development of this area.
However, Executive Engineer R&B , Division Samba Rajesh Abrol said that slow funding and lockdown due to COVID were a cause for slow pace of work. He added that the target period of the road and bridges is March 2022 and the Department is hopeful to complete the work by that time.
He said earlier the work was delayed due to National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) clearance. He added the work on 70 metres span bridge is in progress while on the 30 metre is yet to start and it too will be taken up in hand soon. The work is in progress and soling has been laid on the road from Sumbh to Goran which will be followed by mettaling and blacktopping, he added.
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