Ganderbal, Dec 31: Despite the passage of more than a decade, the construction work on a vital bridge connecting dozens of villages in this central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district is still incomplete.
The Akhal bridge connects dozens of villages with the sub-division Kangan area of Ganderbal. The bridge with a total length of 84 meters was sanctioned in 2008 and the construction work was taken up by the J&K Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) at an estimated cost of Rs. 7.96 crores. However, it is yet to be completed.
The delay in the completion of the bridge has left people fuming. “We have been to almost every concerned government office, requesting them to complete the work on the bridge but to no avail,” the locals of Akhal Kangan told Rising Kashmir.
They said the temporary bridge was built on Nallah Sindh which was declared unsafe by the R&B department. “The R&B department has failed to complete the vital bridge for the last 10 years. We are forced to travel through alternate long routes. How long shall this continue?” they said.
They said the bridge was taken in ‘Languishing Projects’ two years ago and the Ganderbal administration had asked the concerned departments to complete the construction by December 2020. “However, the JKPCC has missed several deadlines till now,” they said.
Sarpanch Akhal (A) Dilshad Begum told Rising Kashmir, I “have raised this issue several times during the Back to Village program but not a single step has been taken yet so far.”
The locals have appealed to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Shyambir to personally look into the matter.
