Gudoora villagers demand widening of bridge on NH-444

Pulwama, July 01: Residents of Gudoora village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have urged authorities to widen the bridge on NH444 to ensure smooth traffic flow and prevent frequent jams.The demand gained urgency after a vehicle ferrying a critically ill minor got stuck in a traffic snarl at the bridge on Tuesday. In a video that went viral on social media, a distressed woman is seen making frantic calls and pleading with commuters to give way to the vehicle carrying her child in need of immediate medical attention. Shahid Mohammad , a local, told Rising Kashmir that the bridge on NH444 at Gudoora is too narrow to handle two-way traffic.“Hundreds of vehicles use this highway daily, which connects Srinagar with Pulwama via Nowgam. The narrow bridge forces vehicles from one side to wait, allowing passage only one at a time, resulting in daily traffic snarls,” he said.“On Tuesday morning, the bridge was completely choked as usual. We witnessed a mother desperately pleading for passage for a vehicle carrying her ailing child. The district administration and local MLA must urgently address this issue,” Shahid added.Ashiq Rehman, another local, said NH444 connecting Pulwama with Shopian and Srinagar, is a vital route for commuters.“Vehicles often have to wait for hours to cross the narrow bridge. The situation could worsen during the upcoming fruit harvest season when hundreds of fruit-laden trucks will ply this route,” he warned.He appealed to the authorities to widen the bridge at the earliest to avoid further inconvenience and ensure smooth movement of vehicles. Deputy Commissioner Pulwama, Dr. Basharat Qayoom, said that the approval for construction of a new bridge has already been received. “However, it still needs to be tendered and allotted before execution,” he said, adding that the concerned department has been instructed to adhere to timelines. “This project also involves land acquisition, which has statutory procedures.  Meanwhile, we will try to deploy manpower for traffic management at the spot,” Dr. Qayoom said.