Rajouri: Poor condition of approach road at Tandwal bridge connecting several panchayats with Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch national highway is causing a risk of accidents with people demanding immediate repair and maintenance of severely dilapidated stretch.
Tandwal bridge is located along national highway in Tandwal village of Rajouri and it connects over one dozen villages and several panchayats including Tundi Trar, Palullian, Keriyan, Namblan, Gambhir with national highway.
Locals of the area said that the road starting from Tandwal bridge falls under the domain of PMGSY but approach road and bridge is under Public Works Department.
Vipan Sharma, a man running his shop near the bridge said that Tandwal bridge is an important part of surface connectivity in the area and hundreds of vehicles move over it while hundreds of people, especially children, cross this bridge on a daily basis.
Sharma however expressed concern over dilapidated condition of bridge stating that both the bridge surface as well as approach road is having big potholes over it.
“Many times two-wheelers skid over it and people receive minor injuries but we fear a major accident as no proper safety walls have been raised,” another local trader Manoj Kumar Sharma said.
Castigating the Public Works Department (Roads and Buildings), Manoj said that demand for repair and maintenance of this stretch has been time and again taken up with the concerned department.
On being contacted, the office of the Executive Engineer Public Works Department issued a statement through the district information center. In the official statement issued to Greater Kashmir, it has been informed by the department that the Tandwal bridge including the approaches was completed by PWD long ago but due to heavy rainfall, some potholes developed on the approach road.
“This work will be reflected in the plan and soon the surface will be repaired for smooth movement of vehicles,” the statement reads.