Srinagar: A portion of a footpath along Dal Lake near Ghat Number 17 on Boulevard Road in Srinagar washed away right into the lake after a brief spell of rain.
The damage to the sidewalk constructed under the Srinagar Smart City Project for the 2023 G20 meeting, near Ghat number 17 on the Boulevard road, has raised concerns over the quality of works carried out in Srinagar as part of the much-hyped infrastructure development project.
The caving-in incident that caused the walkway to suffer substantial damage, was reported by the local boatmen around 7:30 am at Ghat No. 17 at the Boulevard Road amid fresh rainfall. Besides the bad civil works, locals also blamed the incident on large-scale rat infestation in the area.
“Apart from the administration’s bad policies, rats have been a major factor in the Boulevard Road’s deterioration. The gnawing mammals have created holes in the road’s base from one end to the other. Thank God no one was out on Boulevard Road at the time of the occurrence, as it may have resulted in a tragedy,” Nazir Ahmad, a boatman, told ‘Kashmir Images’.
Rodents, he claimed, are fed on the leftover food from hotels and restaurants situated in the area. He said the administration has never taken the problem seriously, which has led to incidences like the one that occurred today.
Meanwhile, Member Legislative Assembly (MLA) Zadibal constituency, Tanvir Sadiq arrived on the scene and immediately instructed the department concerned to investigate the flaws that caused the section of the walkway to collapse.
“Although the government spends crores of rupees annually beautifying Dal Lake, the incident shouldn’t have occurred. There must have been some errors that caused the caving in of the portion of footpath, or the pathway reconstruction was carried out without the required testing, such as a soil test,” Sadiq told the media, adding, the Executive Engineer in question has been instructed to carry out immediate repairs and make sure similar incidents doesn’t happen again.
In a post on X, NC chief spokesperson also flagged the issue and urged Deputy Commissioner Srinagar to intervene in the matter.
“A critical issue has emerged near Ghat No 17, Boulevard road Srinagar, where the path and soil have been washed away. Immediate intervention from the DC Srinagar is needed,” Sadiq said in the post.
Tanvir Sadiq said it was a “failure” of Smart City Project, and sought immediate intervention from the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar.
“This is very unfortunate. I am in touch with the chief minister’s office. The authorities are looking into it and restoration work will start from today only,” Sadiq told reporters.
He called for investigations into such incidents and the poor work done by the Smart City Project.
“Of course, it is a failure. There is nothing that we are proud of right now. At this moment, the issue of the smart city has been closed. These things shouldn’t be happening at all.
“The Chief Minister’s Office has taken this very seriously, so we will see what is happening. But our current priority is to restore it, which the officers have committed to starting from this evening. They will also check other places where similar issues have happened,” he added.
Pertinently, a few years ago, a portion of the road at Dalgate had similarly caved in causing immense inconvenience to commuters and also resulting in heavy traffic jams.
