Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Apr 26: The prolonged delays in completing two crucial bridges over the River Jhelum in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district are causing hardships to the residents of over a dozen villages for the last two decades now.
The work on Dogripora and Reshipora bridges, started in the year 2007 and 2008 respectively, however, both the bridges are awaiting completion, leaving locals grappling with challenges.
They said dozens of students on a daily basis have to use boats to cross river in order to reach their schools.
The locals said that they are unable to understand the inordinate delay behind completion of these bridges and the absence of the bridges can lead to Gandbal like incidents in the area.
Shahid Ahmad, a resident of Dogripora village of Awantipora, expressed concern over the slow pace of work, saying that many people have met with accidents while attempting to cross the Jhelum on boats due to the absence of the bridge.
“These bridges are vital as they would connect numerous villages with the national highway at Pujteng, Sethar, and over 50 villages with Panzgam Pulwama Railway station,” he said.
Suhail Ahmad, another local, expressed frustration at the slow pace of construction, despite assurances from higher officials.
“Completion of the bridge would shorten the distance between Tral and Shahoora areas in Pulwama, benefiting the local community,” he said.
While numerous bridges in the district have been completed in the last 17 years, the Dogripora and Reshipora bridges remain incomplete, they said, adding that the lack of public transport in these areas further compounds the challenges faced by residents.
The locals urged the higher ups to look into the matter at an earliest so that they could heave a sigh of relief.
