Pulwama, May 22: Residents of Nownagri village in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district are urging authorities to erect a protection bund along a landslide-prone stretch of the Pulwama-Chakoora road.
The plea comes in response to landslides near a graveyard in Banpora Nownagri, which have been occurring for the past couple of years.
Ghulam Hassan, an elderly resident, highlighted the dangerous situation, noting that the road is situated at a height at the base of a Karewa (table land).
The location poses a significant threat to several houses located below the road’s elevation, increasing the risk of land subsidence.
“The road caved in at two places last year, causing landslides that hit a cowshed and a residential house,” Hassan recalled.
He attributed the road’s instability to water seepage from the Karewa, which affects a 400-meter stretch.
Hassan also mentioned that the risk of land subsidence is causing considerable distress among the residents.
He added that the heavy traffic on this busy road, with hundreds of vehicles passing daily, exacerbates the situation.
Showket Ahmad Reshi, another resident, pointed out that two people were grievously injured last year when their vehicle rolled down the road due to a landslide.
The residents revealed that the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department had initially begun constructing a protection bund along the affected stretch but then halted the construction work.
They are now appealing to higher authorities within the R&B Department to complete the protection bund to ensure their safety.
Javid Ahmad Dar, Executive Engineer of R&B Pulwama, said that some work on the protection bund was carried out last year.
“We have submitted a proposal under the district sector plan and are hopeful to do more work at the site after the proposal is approved,” he told Rising Kashmir.
