Pulwama, May 26: The residents of the Wasanmarg village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have demanded macadamizing of a vital link road.
Wasanmarg is one of the far-flung villages in the Rajpora Tehsil of Pulwama and is located on the fringes between Pulwama and Budgam districts.
The residents said they have been moving from pillar to post for the last 20 years seeking to macadamize the two-kilometre road stretch from the Wasanmarg village to Kanidajan crossing.
“All our pleas fall to deaf ears,” a local resident Waseem Ahmad said.
He said two years ago, some work was carried out for widening the road but that was discontinued. “This further deteriorated the condition of the road,” he said.
The locals said the road has developed many potholes which become filled with rain water, causing inconvenience to commuters. The passenger vehicles have stopped plying on this road, they said, adding that it has become difficult for those who do not have private vehicles to ferry patients to the hospital.
“Sometimes, we have to carry patients needing emergency care on our shoulders up to the main road,” another local said.
The residents have appealed to the higher authorities to look into the matter, saying macadamizing this road will also prove fruitful for tourists as they can use it to reach the famous tourist spot Yusmarg in Budgam district.
Roads & Buildings (R&B) Executive Engineer Pulwama said the road has been already approved under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) but the contractor who was assigned the project had some registration issues and on technical grounds, he was asked to stop the work.
“Then in November last year, the contractor cleared his registration. However, due to low temperature, the work on the road was not taken up,” the engineer said, adding that now they have issued notice to the contractor to resume the work on the road. The work will be started as soon as the weather improves, he said.
