Srinagar, July 1:Though started over Five years back, the Construction/Widening of Zero Bridge-IG Road via Kursoo Rajbagh Bund taken up by the Public Works Department under the central road fund (CRF) scheme constantly delayed for 5 years is a distant dream as the project has been constantly delayed for years together.
According to sources, the Widening of the Zero Bridge-IG Road via Kursoo Rajbagh Bund was taken up by Public Works Department under the central road fund (CRF) scheme.
The overall project cost for widening this road is Rs 28.79 crore was started about five years back but the project is not completed to date. The Project is executed by R&B Division Srinagar as its initial cost of construction says M Altaf Dar Rajbagh Chairman Falah E Aam Behbood Committee.
The Project was to be constructed having all modern facilities.
However, the constant delay in the execution of the project has added to the woes of the people of the entire Kashmir Valley. Altaf said that with the construction of the road the passenger service buses could ply to other districts as well.
During the PDP-BJP rule in 2016, the Government decided of constructing the road but the people of Kursoo, Rajbagh, Zero Bridge, and Mehjoor Nagar consider themselves unfortunate that the road could not be constructed since the last five years after its foundation was laid but till date all went in vain.
He asked the LG Divisional & District Administration to Convene a Meeting With Chief Engineer R& B Kashmir, Chief Engineer Flood & Irrigation and Concerned Municipality, and Revenue officers to chalk out the necessity for preparing a rehabilitation plan for the dislocated household owners and shopkeepers/traders that were affected by this road project.
The concern areas have vast areas with boundaries touching Maximum districts, but so far as the development of the area is considered it lags far behind, Altaf said.
“The people of Kursu, Raj Bagh, Khujbagh, Pathan Bagh, Armwari, Foot Bridge Raj Bagh are facing the worst problems. The Government failed to widen the road under the pressure of some influential people which has compounded the people’s problems and added to their miseries a lot”, he added.
The constant delay in of road, the distance which normally could be covered in minutes to Airport.
Sources said the project was to be extended up to Mehjoor Bridge, Ram Bagh, Padshahibagh, and By-Pass to join but the stretch has not been completed in five years so one wonders that the two kilometers stretch would take about a century the way the work is stopped and delayed on it at the present.
The work on this stretch is also going at a snail’s pace and whenever authorities know that any VIP is visiting the area they put machines on work and later the work is stopped.
This way they give an impression to higher-ups that the work is in progress which is not in reality so. However, M Altafdar Raj Bagh (Socio Activist – Sr Trade Union Leader, Chairman Falah-E-Aam Behbood Committee Raj Bagh, Zero Bridge said the work on the project was delayed constantly.
He further added that various areas of the Srinagar district are cut off as no transport service runs due to delay in the widening of the road.
The authorities over the years did not pay any attention to the construction/Widening of the same despite the repeated pleas of the people, he added.
However, the Executive Engineer R&B Division Srinagar, said that the work on the road has been delayed due to problems. On behalf Of Falah-E-Aam Behbood Committee, Raj Bagh Zero Bridge M Altafdar Raj Bagh requested and appealed LG Shri Manoj Sinha for consensus on the policy of “zero tolerance” against corruption & reiterate his commitment towards fighting corruption against said Contractors and Officials involved and expect your cooperation in this endeavor in the interest of good governance. M Altafdar Raj Bagh would further urge to advise Civil Administration to complete the widening of Road at earliest.
