Srinagar, Oct 14: Residents of Sector E, Bagh-e-Sitara Colony in the Kanihama area of Nowgam in Srinagar have raised concerns over a badly damaged road leading to their locality, urging authorities to take immediate action.
A delegation of locals told Rising Kashmir that they have been facing hardships for over a year due to the poor condition of the road. “Our road is in a dilapidated condition. It has not been built properly, and we are suffering on a daily basis,” said Mehraj Din, a local resident.
Another resident, Saba, said they had approached the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department last year, but no action has been taken so far. “I personally met the officials and submitted an application regarding macadamisation and construction of the road, but they didn’t take it seriously. Officials had even promised that the road would be built soon, yet months have passed without any progress,” she said. Sheeba, a college student, added that the road’s poor condition has already caused accidents. “An elderly resident recently slipped from his two-wheeler and was injured. The government makes tall claims about better road connectivity, but no one is paying attention to our plight. Our area has been completely neglected,” she said. Faizan Ahmad, another local, said, “Every rainy season, the road becomes almost impossible to traverse. Children going to school and elderly people struggle every day. It feels like our area has been forgotten.” Rehana Bano, a homemaker, said, “We have repeatedly reached out to authorities, but nothing has changed. Simple things like ambulances or delivery vehicles find it hard to reach our homes. The negligence is affecting our daily lives in every possible way.” Residents warned that they may be forced to hold protests if the road is not constructed and macadamised soon.
However, Syed Izhar, Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of the R&B Department, Sub-Division B K Pora, said the estimate for construction and macadamisation has already been submitted to the government. “We had submitted estimates for 60 works, but only five were approved. That’s why this area was left out. However, its estimate is already with the government,” he added.
