Tral-Aripal road, the only one connecting around 20 villages of the southern part of Tral is in such a bad condition that it affects not only the businesses but health of children living along it as well.
Anger against the local administration has been brewing among residents living along the road who say they have been facing immense hardships as authorities have failed to repair the crucial road since over a decade.
“It is so dusty now that children who live along this road have fallen ill. The road has developed big potholes and makes driving difficult and dangerous,” said an employee, Manzoor Ahmed, adding students and patients suffer every day and office goers reach for work late.
Residents say the government’s tall claims of providing proper road connectivity to rural areas have proved a joke here with this main road in a shambles for five years.
“The roads are in such bad condition that the transporters have now refused to ply their vehicles on this road, adding to our miseries,” said Nisar Ahmed, another local.
“When any one falls sick or a pregnant woman is being referred from PHC Satura, PHC Aripal to Sub-District Hospital Tral, they face immense problems to reach the hospital.”
Even the shopkeepers in the area complained of slump in their business due to poor condition of this road.
“Our business has deeply suffered as people prefer to avoid travel on this dilapidated road,” said a shopkeeper at the main bus stand of Tral.
Executive engineer, Road and Buildings Department in Pulwama told Greater Kashmir that repaire work on the road has begun.
“The road will be first repaired and the macadamisation will take place in the feasible weather conditions,” he said.