Rajouri: Apni Party Vice President Choudhary Zulfikar Ali has urged the Govt to ensure the opening of alternative links to Kashmir, Mughal Road, throughout the year.
In a statement to the press, Choudhary Zulfikar Ali said that the people of Rajouri and Poonch especially patients and students are suffering most with the repeated closing of an important highway that links these two districts with the rest of Kashmir valley as the shortest route.
He said that the students have to travel over 200 km from Poonch to reach Jammu and then they travel in addition to reach Kashmir which becomes a journey of nearly 500 kms.
“The Govt should pull up the agencies tasked to keep the highway working and open in all weather. The failure of the authorities’ concern has cost people with their health and studies,” he added.
He said that traders have also been affected by the closing of the highway. “The highway has become a source of economic development for many, and easy trade with the districts of Kashmir in less time,” added Choudhary Zulfikar Ali.
He said that Poonch and Rajouri districts lack specialized medical facilities and therefore, they prefer going to Srinagar via Mughal road.
If the road remains closed, he said, the hundreds of patients who get themselves checked in Srinagar fail to get treatment or medicines. On humanitarian grounds, he said, the Govt must keep the highway functional in all weather conditions for the people of Rajouri and Poonch.
