Shopian: The residents of scores of villages in south Kashmir’s Shopian district have appealed to the authorities that the construction of drainage system be taken up simulteanously with the ongoing macadamisation on Shopian-Bijbehara Road
The macamidasation and widening of the arterial Shopian-Bijbehara was finally taken up in June this year after it was stalled in 2018. However, the R&B department, according to the residents, is going to construct the drainage system and retaining walls along the road after the macamidasation work is completed, which , they believe, may cause damage to the road.
A group of concerned residents told Greater Kashmir that the road was macadamised atleast after three decades and “now if tomorrow they dig it up again for the allied work, it would cause damage to the road.”
“We had approached the authorities umpteen times for the macamidsation and widening of this road and now we do not want it to be damaged again,”said Mubashir Ahamd Bhat , a resident of Chitragam village.
Bhat said that the drainage system and retaining walls at several places along the road must be constructed with the macdamisation process.
Many residents of other villages voiced the same concerns.
Aijaz Ahamd Mir , former MLA and member District Development Council said that it would better to take up the macamadisation and work on drainage system simultaneously so save the road from any possible damage.
He also said that the concerned department must expedite the work and complete it before the onset of winters.
Mir appealed to the engineering wing to monitor the work. The road connects at least 90 villages including Imamsahab, Nagbal, Chitragam, Hillow and Zainpora with Bijbehera, and is the shortest route connecting two south Kashmir districts.
The road could also prove an alternate route for annual Amarnath yatra via Mughal road.
Executive Engineer R& B Divison Shopian, Farooq Ahmad Khanday told Greater Kahmir that the first priority of the department was to make the riding surface better and the drainage system would be constructed at an appropriate time.
He also said that they would make sure that the road would not be damaged due to the construction of drainage system and other allied work.