Shangus, Sep 5: In a novel protest, the residents of this South Kashmir area planted trees in the middle of the road and observed a complete shutdown on Monday, demanding resumption of work on Achabal-Chatapal upgradation project, which was left midway, causing huge inconvenience to the people of this area.
 All the shops and business establishments remained closed on the strike call given by the Coordination Committee Shangus. Hundreds of people in Shangus and its adjoining areas took to the streets demanding the resumption of the work. “We have been forced to hold demonstration as our repeated pleas have fallen to deaf ears,” the protestors said and threatened to migrate from their respective areas if the government failed to repair the roads.
 In order to draw the attention of the authorities, they planted trees on the middle of the road and also threatened to launch massive agitation if the work on the road was not taken up immediately. They also demanded macadamization of all the roads of the constituency, which according to them were bumpy and dotted with potholes.
 “If the work on the road is not started again, we will be forced to go for an indefinite strike,” said a resident Sheikh Jabbar Ahmad.
 The locals of the Shangus belt are up in arms against the government for leaving the project mid way and have been complaining of tremendous hardships due to the dilapidated condition of the road.
 “The people of this area including those from Shangus, Nowgam, Utersoo, Charipora, Chatergul, Sheikh Pora, Chaklipora as also from Chattapal resort had hoped that the upgradation of the road would open new economic opportunities and the tourism would get a boost, but now they are cursing the day, the project was undertaken,” said the residents.
 They said the bumpy, potholed and dusty road which has been dug at several places had made the lives of the people living in this belt miserable. “Due to the pathetic condition of the road, we are not able to make to our work places in time while the patients including expecting ladies suffer immensely,” the locals said.
 They said most of the people in the area were suffering from respiratory diseases due to the dust which keeps on raising from it while the vehicles which ply on the stretch have got suffered extensive damages.
 “Before the upgradation project was undertaken it would take us barely 30 minutes from Chatergul to reach Achabal which is a mere 15 Kilometer distance, but now the same distance takes us more than three hours,” said a resident of Chatergul, Gulzar Ahmad Malik.
 The residents appealed the authorities to immediately remove impediments into the project and provide relief to them.
 The work on the much hyped Rs 26.5 Crore Achabal –Chattapal road up gradation project was started in 2009, but was left midway after the authorities decided to terminate the contract of a contractor for slow progress of work.
 “The 22 Kilometer long road widening project aimed at bringing Chattapal, a scenic hill resort located 37 Kilometers away from the South Kashmir town of Islamabad (Anantnag) on the tourist map was approved by the central government in the year 2009 and handed over to PMGYS. Subsequently in the tenders were invited and in the month of June, the work was undertaken,” sources said.
 They said that though the project was supposed to be accomplished in 18 months time, probably by December 2010, but after completing only 10 percent of the total work in about 10 months time, the project was left midway and till then there has been no progress on it.
 “After assessing the slow progress of the work, the Chief Engineer, PMGYS decided to terminate the contract of the local firm, as it was liable under standard biding document laws according to which at least 40 percent of the work should have been completed in the ten months,” sources said.
 They said as PMGYS was about to go for fresh NITS (Notice Inviting Tenders), the contractor of the firm filed a writ petition in the High court following which the tenders were put on hold. “The High court however dismissed the writ petition and asked the firm to go for arbitration and the stay on the work was vacated,” sources said.
 They added that till now, the work on the upgradation of the project had not been resumed.
 Deputy Commissioner (DC), Islamabad (Anantnag), Kifayat Hussain Rizwi when contacted said, “Soon after the High court vacated the stay on the project we immediately decided to go for fresh tenders, but the said contractor of the firm has filed a fresh writ petition before the double bench of high court challenging his termination of tender due to which we could not proceed further”.
 He said as soon the court gives its decision we would immediately take up the project again.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 5 Sep 2011 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 5 Sep 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 6 Sep 2011 00:00:00 IST