As Modi flags off construction of ring road, Srinagar road widening projects continue to be in limbo

On a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation for the ring road in Srinagar, major road projects in summer capital continue to hang fire despite passing of several decades since they were conceived.

While the government flaunts that the semi road project will make travel hassle free, it has put on backburner the prestigious road widening projects in Srinagar city which, according to experts, could have given fillip to the development of the old city. 

   

An official of roads and building department said that some major road widening projects in Srinagar are in limbo due to paucity of funds for land acquisition.

“Three major road widening projects planned to remove bottlenecks in Srinagar city are awaiting release of funds for removal of structures coming in the way of the widening,” he said.

The projects facing delay in completion due to non-availability of funds are Qamarwari-Shalteng stretch, Syed Meerak Road from Dalgate to Zakura and Khanyar-Zadibal-Pandach (KZP) stretch.

The widening of Qamarwari-Shalteng road is a case in point. Started in 2010, the widening of 2.7 km road was approved for completion at Rs 13.79 crore by July 2012. Later, the deadline was extended by another year. The department missed it too.

Sources said 89 residential and commercial structures—spread on 31 kanals of land—are coming in the way of widening of the road. These structures are presently housing 50 families and 239 shopkeepers.

Another road project is Khanyar-Zadibal-Pandach (KZP) conceived in 1976, is still a distant dream.

The estimated cost of the project in 1976 was pegged at Rs 58 crore which was later scaled up by Rs 100 crore. However 39 years down the line, the cost of the project as per the roads and building department officials has skyrocketed to Rs 1,000 crore. Now, the state government is finding it difficult to manage the funds out of the state plan for this project.

Another road widening project in the summer capital that has hit the roadblock due to paucity of the funds and slow land acquisition process is Syed Meerak Shah Road from Dalgate to Zakura.

In 2009 authorities started expansion of the Syed Meerak Shah Road from Dalgate to Zakura primarily for facilitating smooth flow of vehicular movement through congested areas of historic Shaher-e-Khaas here.

The 10.33 kilometre road widening project estimated at Rs 336.24 crore was aimed to serve as key surface link to Shahr-e-Khaas, Hazratbal shrine and University of Kashmir. However, despite passing of six years, the project is going on at a snail’s pace with even its first phase yet to be completed.

Officials cite paucity of funds and escalating real estate (land and structures to be acquired) prices for delay in undertaking the project.

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