Sopore, Mar 21: Twenty years after the construction on the Sopore-Bye Pass Bridge was started by the authorities of Border Roads Organization, the work on the vital communication link is still incomplete in Sopore.
 According to the inhabitants of the area, the project was approved during the tenure of the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi and the work on the bridge was started in 1992. “The construction on the bridge over river Jhelum was stopped many a times during these 20-years,” the residents said adding that the work on the project was completely halted for more than two years during the mid 90s’.
 The residents said the work on the project was started after repeated pleas by the locals. “However, the construction on the bridge is going on at snail’s pace and the executing agency has missed many deadlines for the completion of the project,” the locals said, adding that due to non-completion of the bridge, the people were suffering immensely.
 The inhabitants said that despite repeated assurance from the district administration that the work on the project would be expedited, nothing concrete was done on ground. “The progress of work is so slow that it could miss the latest deadline of October 2012 given by the executing agency,” the residents said.
 Owing to the importance of the Bridge, the issue about slow progress of work on the communication link was also raised in the Assembly in 2008 by the concerned MLAs of the area. “The then concerned minister assured that the bridge would be completed in a year. Four years have passed since then, the construction on the project is still going on,” the locals added.
 They said that after completion, the bridge would significantly shorten the distance between several areas of Baramulla and Kupwara.
 “It will boost the trade and help commuters in reaching to their respective destinations in the shortest possible time. Now the importance of the bridge has increased manifold after the setting up of Sopore Fruit Mandi. But unfortunately authorities haven’t given due consideration it,” said Imtiyaz Ahmed Bhat, a fruit dealer from Sopore.
 The traders’ fraternity is also up in arms against the authorities for not completing the bridge construction on time saying the communication link would have been a boon for the trade in the area. “It would have saved the time and labour and would have also considerably lessened the rush of traffic in Sopore town” said, Sopore Traders Federation, President Haji Muhammad Ashraf Ganaie.
 When contacted, Sub District Magistrate (SDM), Sopore, Muhammad Ehsan Mir told Greater Kashmir, “It is true that the construction on the bridge is going on from the last 20 years. We are in touch with the executing agency.”
 Acknowledging the slow pace of work on the project, he said,
 “If the work on the bridge will continue at the snail’s pace, it will take many yeas to complete it.”
 “It is very unfortunate that only four to five labourers are working for the construction of the bridge.”
 SDM said there was no dearth of funds for the construction of the bridge. “The District Development Commissioner Baramulla has also taken up the matter with BEACON authorities for speedy construction of the bridge who had assured him of completing it soon.” 
Compiled by
Ghulam Muhammad

Lastupdate on : Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 22 Mar 2012 00:00:00 IST