The residents of Ashmuji and adjoining villages in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district expressed resentment over the incomplete Kilam-Ashmuji bridge.
They said that though the work on the bridge had been started 10 years ago, the bridge remains inaccessible to the general public.
The residents said that the bridge was sanctioned in 2009 and construction work by Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) taken up in 2010.
The bridge would connect dozens of villages in the area and due to it being incomplete people were compelled to take longer and time-consuming routes, adding to their miseries.
“The bridge is ok but the approach roads are not developed yet. The adjoining villages will get connected only when the approach roads are built,” said Ghulam Qadir, a resident of Ashmuji.
“Completion of the bridge is very important for us because we have to take longer and time-consuming routes to reach the highway. The bridge would have reduced our time travel from longer routes by half-an-hour,” he said.
A JKPCC official said that they had completed their part and now it was the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department that was supposed to take up the construction of the approach road.
Talking to Greater Kashmir, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kulgam Showkat Ahmad said, “A DPR and has been sent for sanction to the government. As soon as we receive funds, construction on the approach road will be started.”