Bhadarwah: Around 10,000 people of five panchayats in Doda district are hopeful that their lives are going to change for better as authorities started macadamisation work on Dradhu-Manwa road under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
Being black-topped at an allotted cost of Rs 717 lakh, the 9.12 km Dradhu-Manwa road will provide all-weather connectivity to Dradhu, Diggi, Manwa, Sengoi and Misrata by the end of this month, officials said.
Villagers, especially fruit-growers of these five panchayats, known for producing the best quality of apples, pears, walnuts and parsimony, were waiting for the last one decade for completion of this road.
They heaved a sigh of relief as the authorities speeded up the pace of work under PMGSY after taking over the project from Roads and Building department in 2018.
After completing the earth work last week, the macadamisation of the Dradhu-Manwa road is in full swing and is expected to be completed by the end of October, the officials said.
PMGSY Bhaderwah recently started the second phase of work which includes soling, mettling and macadamisation by deploying heavy machinery.
“The black-topping of Dradhu-Manwa road has been taken up last week and we are hopeful of completing the second phase by October 31,” Assistant Executive Engineer, PMGSY Bhadarwah, Atta Mohammad Sheikh said.
After completion of the black-topping, he said this road would provide all-weather connectivity to five panchayats, benefiting 10,000 people.
“This road has the potential of boosting the life standard of the villagers, especially that of fruit and vegetable growers which is the main source of livelihood in this area,” he added.
The villagers are also upbeat over the work being undertaken at a brisk pace and are hopeful that the road will be finally completed in a stipulated time period.
“We waited for a long time and are now hopeful that finally this road will be completed and we will be able to transport our produce, especially fruits and vegetables in the markets hassle-free,” Riyaz Ahmed, a resident of Manwa village, said.
He said the better road connectivity would reduce transportation cost.
After lockdown restrictions were eased, the road construction has been taken up with renewed vigour, the officials said.
They said the government has, over the last five years, spent more than Rs 80,000 crore on building and upgrading rural roads across the country even as PMGSY funding model has changed.
