Srinagar, June 16: Despite passing of over 50 years, work on the four-laning of Sanat Nagar-Rangreth road is yet to start.
The project was envisioned in 1970s to ensure hassle-free traffic movement on the vital route. However, inordinate delay in execution of the project is taking a heavy toll on the mobility of inhabitants as well as unitholders operating at Rangreth Industrial Estate
The project never materialized due to failure of officials to put it in central funding project schemes.
“Later it was decided that the government of J&K will take it up with funding from its own kitty; however with a change in government, this project was put on the back-burner,” an official of PWD said.
Now officially there is no plan to widen this important road link which witnesses a heavy traffic movement.
Chief Engineer, Roads and Buildings Kashmir, Showkat Ahmad said “currently there is no proposal to widening this stretch.”
However, livid with the “callous approach”, residents of different uptown areas along Rangreth-Sanat Nagar road have urged Beacon authorities to take up widening of the route. The state’s public works department has failed to start work on the key road despite having prepared its detailed project report five decades ago.
The road assumes significance as it leads to Rangreth Industrial Estate and houses several establishments including JAKLI center, GREF headquarters and Airforce Station.
Decades ago, authorities envisaged four-laning of the stretch to cater increasing traffic movement. However, authorities have been resorting to dilly-dallying tactics to execute the project.
“The proposal has not seen the light of the day. In 70s’ and 1980s, the road from Bagat Barzulla to Rangreth was used only by a few vehicles of army and SRTC buses and hardly any private and public transport would ply on it. The breadth of the road has since then remained the same rather shrunk due to encroachment of roadside at few places,’ said a group of inhabitants of Sanat Nagar.