Srinagar, Sep 23: In July this year, the Roads and Building department started macadamization of Bulbul Lankar-Aali Kadal-Nawa Kadal road stretch to improve connectivity in the densely populated Shahr-e-Khaas areas. But the work was abandoned halfway. This has left the Wusi Sahib to Alai Kadal stretch in shambles, making the public movement inconvenient and accident prone on the dilapidated track.
 The Srinagarites living along the road are up in arms against the government for leaving the road dilapidated while the authorities said it was the locals who hindered the work progress.

THE PROJECT
 The work was started in July this year from Bulbul Lankar side but was abandoned last month near Wusi Sahib road.
 The total amount sanctioned for the macadamization project was Rs 32 lakh out of which around Rs 27 lakhs were spent on macadamization while some Rs 3.5 lakhs were utilized on drainage. The remaining Rs 4.5 odd lakhs, as per sources, are still in the kitty.

PUBLIC WOES
 The road is in such a bad condition that people find it inconvenient to travel on the “risky bumpy” track.
 “The road is so bad that two vehicles coming from opposite directions cannot pass through,” said a group of residents living there.
 They said mishaps have become almost a routine on the road. “The project executing agency is responsible for the accidents and they didn’t complete the work thereby risking life of people.”

TRADERS ANNOYED 
 Shopkeepers alongside the road shared similar views adding that customers avoid coming to their shops “because of this dilapidated road.”
 “Customers find it difficult to drive to this place…. People obviously want to avoid travel on bad roads which are so uneven,” argued a trader.

PROTEST THREAT
 Interestingly, much like the residents of Saraf Kadal area, the locals of the affected road said they would dig up the lane rendering it unfit for vehicular traffic movement should the administration “fail in taking our issues into cognizance.”
 “If the administration continues to ignore our problems, we’ll dig up the road rendering it unfit for vehicular movement,” they said.

OFFICIALS SPEAK
 When contacted the concerned authorities said the work was halted “because the people hindered it.”
  “We stopped our work near Wusi Sahib only because residents living there didn’t let us complete our work of macadamization. They (residents) are demanding a drain on that road but we cannot construct that because the road has a slope and is narrow. Its unfit even for a surface drain,” Peerzada Afaq, Assistant Executive Engineer, City Roads, R&B told Greater Kashmir.
 The official, however, asserted that they are ready to macadamize the road anytime provided people cooperate with them. “If people want macadamization of the road without any objection, they can come to my office anytime and we will resume work right then,” he said.
 “But as far as temperature is concerned, we cannot macadamize the road after this month,” Afaq said.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 24 Sep 2011 00:00:00 IST