Srinagar, Apr 29: The ongoing inconvenience for people particularly tourists flying to the summer capital will last for around a month more as Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA), which is constructing a drain on the Airport Road said the work can’t be completed at-least before May 20.
 The concerned Superintending Engineer said the ERA has informed the Divisional Commissioner Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon that the patch of road upto Post Office lane Hyderpora would be completed by May 20. Three days ago, Dr Samoon had directed the ERA to gear up the work and complete it in double shift.
 “We have sought time till May 20,” the SE told Greater Kashmir adding that there was no other fast track means to construct the drain that could reduce the timeframe.
 “We cannot dig up the entire road in one go, the work has to be done in patches,” the engineer explained.
 ERA spokesman in a statement Friday said the work has been geared up.
 “Work on both the fronts is going on in full swing. Every day work is started at 7 am and continues till late evening. The agency is making all efforts to complete the work on drain at the earliest,” he said.
 Pertinently, the closure of the Airport Road at the start of tourist season has put the state government to severe embarrassment as the first impression of Kashmir which the visitors get is of a back breaking journey on a bad road.
 Due to the ongoing construction work all the Srinagar bound vehicles from Central Kashmir’s Budgam district and the Srinagar International Airport are being diverted towards a Kacha Road. Only the VIPs including ministers and senior officials are allowed to ply straight on the Airport Road.
 The diversion is putting the travelers to inconvenience as the 2 mile long link road, which connects the Airport Road with another macadamized road is in a typically bad condition.
 Even though for some apparent face saving the authorities have started water sprinkling and minor repairs of the Kacha road, the vehicular movement remains inconvenient.
 But ironically nobody from the government top brass bothered to review the ground situation till April 26 when Inspector General of Police Traffic Hemant Kumar Lohia landed in Srinagar and preferred to visit the affected site.
 Thereafter the civil administration woke up but it was too late.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 30 Apr 2011 00:00:00 IST