Baramulla: Eleven years on, the foot bridge connecting over 30 villages in Rafiabad area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district is yet to be completed, causing huge inconvenience to the local population.
The Department of R&B started work on the footbridge, which is being constructed over the famous Nallah Pohru at Malghanipora, Rafiabad, 11 years ago.
However, the bridge is still awaiting completion.
The locals said that work on the bridge usually gets halted after a few days and is slow, which was a major concern for the local population as in the absence of the bridge, over 30 villages remain disconnected.
Muhammad Ashraf, the Sarpanch of the area, said that it took 11 years for the executing agency to complete 60 percent of the work on the bridge.
He said that despite communicating to the higher ups and raising this issue at different programmes of ‘Back to Village’, there had been no substantial progress.
Ashraf said that in absence of the bridge there had been several cases of drowning which left many families in mourning.
He said that a local boat ferrying people had even capsized yet the incident had no bearing on the administration.
“Around 400 school children studying in a private school on the other side of the Nallah take the boat to go and return from the school, which poses a huge threat to their safety,” Ashraf said. “The water flow in Nallah Pohru is always high, making it more dangerous. The chances of any mishap here remain high.”
Ghulam Rasool, another local, while expressing his displeasure over the slow pace of work said that the Wadoora campus of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Kashmir (SKUAST-K) was at a distance of 5 minutes from their village if the bridge gets completed.
However, he said that to reach the campus for any programme or agriculture-related query, they have to take an alternate route, which is 10 km from their village.
“We are unable to understand why the authorities don’t care about us and end our hardships,” Ghulam Rasool said.
The locals have now urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha’s administration to intervene and ensure the bridge’s timely complexion.
