Baramulla, Mar 03: There has been a prolonged delay in the construction of a footbridge in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district which had been damaged years ago.
The bridge in the Hardu Chanam area collapsed a few years ago due to flash floods and has not been repaired by the authorities.
Another temporary bridge was built but that also was damaged by floods and is in the worst condition.
Umar Malik, a local resident, told Rising Kashmir that they are apprehensive about the safety of their children who have to cross the Nallah-e-Hamal on a daily basis.
“Despite repeated pleas, the authorities have failed to construct a footbridge over nallah in our area due to which the residents including the school-going children and elderly people face immense hardships,” he said.
“The bridge connects the high school with the locality. There is an alternative route but it takes a lot of time,” Umar added.
Another local, Sajad Ahmad, said they are facing immense problems in the absence of a footbridge over the nallah. “We approached the concerned authorities several times to build a footbridge, but nothing happened on the ground,” he said.
The locals appealed to the administration to look into the matter which concerns human lives.
Meanwhile, Block Development Officer Dangiwacha Abdul Rashid told Rising Kashmir that due to the lack of funds, the work on the footbridge has been delayed.
“We will try to build it in coming months if funds are allocated,” BDO said, adding that the panchayat does not have “huge funding” to construct a bridge.
