Make other routes connecting Kashmir with rest of country fully functional: Sagar

National Conference (NC) general secretary Haji Ali Muhammad Sagar on Saturday alleged that the incumbent Governor’s administration and the Government of India (GoI) have miserably failed to upkeep the sole highway connecting Kashmir with rest of the country.

In a statement here, Sagar said, “The need of hour is tomake other routes connecting Kashmir with rest of country fully functional.”

   

“It is an embarrassment that even after 73 years ofindependence no headway has been made to connect the valley of Kashmir with therest of country through an all weather roads,” he said.

He said, “Even a drizzle of rain detaches the Valley withthe rest of the country. The GoI and the incumbent administration with alltheir men and machinery have miserably failed to upkeep the important stretchof road connecting Jammu to Srinagar. It seems that the government has given upbefore the vagaries of weather. At a time when world has embarked on themission of easier intercontinental connectivity, our people in this part of theworld still hanker after basic edibles during intermittent highway blockages,”he said.

“It was after fifty hours of blockage that the sole highwayconnecting Kashmir with the rest of the country was thrown open for traffic onFriday night following landslides in district Ramban. The blockage has resultedin the ruin of various perishable items, and other edibles including livestock.The traders continue to be at the receiving end of all this. Not just that suchintermittent round the year blockages create shortage of essential items in theValley,” Sagar said.

The NC senior leader said, “There has been no headway onother road projects connecting Jammu to Srinagar. The need of the hour is toupgrade Mughal road so that it can act as parallel link to Kashmir, but to ourdismay nothing has been done in this direction also. The incumbent governoradministration and the former BJP-PDP government miserably failed to developMughal road as an all-weather route. The idea of having a tunnel on Mughal roadwas also brushed under carpet.”

“Due to frequent suspension of traffic on Jammu –Srinagarhighway the vehicles had taken the route of Mughal road to reach Kashmir butthere also the government has failed to ensure a steady movement of traffic. Governmenthas established only one checking point on Mughal road, which obviously is notenough to deal with the scope of work. There also one sees a beeline of trucksand other light vehicles waiting for their turn to cross the check point,”Sagar said.

“I take this opportunity and urge both the GOI and theincumbent state administration to ensure steady vehicular movement on the solehighway connecting Srinagar to Jammu. It is expected of the government toupkeep the highways, and initiate time bound work on other routes connectingKashmir to other parts of the country. Meantime I urge the incumbentadministration to established sufficient checking points on Mughal road inorder to avoid stranding of vehicles,” Sagar said.

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