Srinagar, Oct 20: For the past over a year, the Ahmed Nagar-Soura road is in a mess since the day drainage work was started there. For now even though the drains have been laid, the macadamization hasn’t been done thereby putting people to inconvenience. And the worst is that chances of any immediate respite are bleak as the authorities said the blacktopping can’t be taken up this year.
 In 2010, National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) started a sewerage project on the Ahmad Nagar-Soura road, a key link to SK Institute of Medical Sciences, Soura, by laying sewerage pipes. Though the sewerage work is almost complete, the authorities are yet to decide about blacktopping even though the macadamization season is nearing closure because of dip in the mercury levels.
 The residents and the traders’ community there are up in arms against the government for leaving the road in shambles.
The work
 The locals said that the sewerage work was completed almost six months back. “But since then no initiative was taken to get the road repaired through macadamization,” the locals said while demanding immediate blacktopping of the completed stretch.
 On the other hand, the NBCC officials said that the sewerage work is at the brink of completion and will take around a fortnight to finish upto the Soura end.
The inconvenience
 The condition of the road is so pathetic that it has created grave health problems for the people especially shopkeepers there.
 “I frequently suffer from chest infection and doctors said it was because of the prevailing dusty conditions,” Muhammad Shafi, a shopkeeper of Buchpora flanked by others told Greater Kashmir.
 The uneven road is in such a bad condition that people find it inconvenient for travel. “On dry days billows of dust rise from the bumpy track and we have to keep our faces covered,” said some residents of Soura.
 Similar were the views of the shopkeepers in the area who said the commodities they keep in showcase get dusty within a day. “Moreover due to the bad road conditions customers avoid coming to our shops,” the  traders of Omarhaer area said.
 “We many a time approached the authorities but no heed was paid to our complaints,” the locals said.
 They also said that the affected route was one of the busiest in the City as it connects to Valley’s sole territory care hospital, the SKIMS Soura.
 “The plight of patients being ferried via the dusty bumpy track can only be imagined,” the locals said.
Threaten protests
 The annoyed residents and the shopkeepers have threatened to dig up the road making it unfit for vehicular traffic should the administration fail in its speedy blacktopping.
 “If the administration continues to ignore our problems, we’ll dig up the road and leave it unfit for vehicular movement,” they said.
Cause of mishaps
 The residents said the bad road conditions have made it accident prone. “Accidents have become a routine on this track. Almost everyday someone gets injured when either his bike slips or a vehicle rams into the manholes and potholes,” they said.
Officials speak
 When contacted the concerned authorities said they “deliberately delayed macadamization to let the road surface get settled.”
 “After the work was completed, we kept the road under check to see if any depression or earth sinking happens anywhere and that is why we didn’t macadamize it till now,” Khalid Qazi, Executive Engineer, Right River Circular Road told Greater Kashmir.
 When asked how much time it takes to check such post-drainage issues, the official said: “It depends upon the temperature and we have to wait for a complete winter to go then we can macadamize the road.”
 In the meanwhile, the official acknowledged the peoples’ problems and said “If we macadamize the road at his point of time, it will all go waste because the post sewerage problems we are expecting can spoil the macadamization process.”

Lastupdate on : Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 21 Oct 2011 00:00:00 IST