The government seems to have abandoned the heritage Zero Bridge which was recently damaged by some miscreants.
The Bridge was revamped as a blend of traditional architecture over river Jhelum here.
Constructed as a walkthrough spot, some miscreants recently damaged wooden floor of the Bridge and burnt some planks. The miscreants also damaged electrification work, windows and floor of cabins on either side of the Bridge. Even the bulbs were stolen.
Now, flocks of sheep can be seen during the daytime in the cabins constructed on its either side of the bridge.
The pictures of sheep having lazy time in the cabins went viral on social video, with neitizens criticizing authorities for failing to preserve the Bridge.
“It is very unfortunate that this beautiful architectural structure has been damaged. Authorities must repair it. This place was meant for people but nowadays animals can be seen inside these cabins,” said Yasrab Khan of Tankipora.
The revamped Bridge was meant to showcase Kashmir’s architecture and heritage.
As per some locals, the six decades old bridge was dismantled in 2012. It was rebuilt and promoted by the government as a heritage destination to attract tourists as well as picnickers.
Reconstructed at Rs 11 crore, the Bridge was a walkthrough connecting Rajbagh and Sonwar.
Earlier, the Bridge was used for vehicular movement, but in 1980 its wooden planks and piers could no longer support the traffic and the Bridge, located two km from the city centre Lal Chowk was closed down.
Only pedestrian movement was allowed on the Bridge after its closure, as security forces constructed bunkers on its both sides.
The old Zero Bridge was constructed in 1950s when Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad was Prime Minister of J&K.
Reconstructed and refurbished by the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation Limited (JKCCC) during the previous PDP-BJP government, the Bridge was handed over to Tourism department.
Showkat Jeelani Chief Engineer R&B said they have deployed two persons to ensure there is no damage to the Bridge.