KUPWARA: The people of Takiya, Durri and Dabar hamlets of (Bhadarkote) in the Karnah Sub Division of Kupwara on Monday started celebrating with joy after the road construction project was taken up for these hamlets for the first time.
As soon as the JCB machines started earth-cutting work for the road project, the people of the area started distributing sweets and welcomed officials with garlands.
This road project will first connect Takiya, the hamlet where recently a specially-abled girl was charred to death in a tragic fire incident.
After the approval of this much-needed road project, the demand for the resolution of a land dispute between the locals and timely execution of the road project was put forth by the residents during Block Diwas at Tangdar before the Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, Ayushi Sudan who had directed SDM Karnah to bring all the stakeholders on board and get the dispute resolved and start the road project so that residents do not face problems.
Following the resolution of the land dispute by SDM Karnah, the residents offered land for the execution of the said road project without any compensation.
Locals of the area welcomed the administration’s move and expressed their gratitude to Deputy Commissioner Kupwara and SDM Karnah for playing their important role in the execution of the project as it was a long pending demand.
The work on “Construction of Road from Jub Chitterkote to Takiya Durie up to Dabar Bhadarkote with a Project cost of 517.53 Lakhs has been approved under NABARD which will benefit the entire village especially Takiya, Durri and Dabar hamlets of Bhadarkote where most of the families are below the poverty line.
The road project will benefit the people of Riyala, Murchana, Ib-kote pingala Haridal besides Bahadurkote as it would be the shortest route for the inhabitants of these villages to almost 80% of the villages and also to Tehsil headquarters at Tangdar.
“This is a dream come true for the people of the area who have suffered a lot of lack of road connectivity. In the absence of better road connectivity the situation used to get worse when there was any medical emergency or any other incident in the area,” residents said.
While lauding the District Administration Kupwara and Sub Divisional Administration, locals said that this road project would herald a new dawn in our lives.
Highlighting the problem of not being able to reach the destination in case of emergency due to non-availability of road, a local of Takiya said, “We have been suffering a lot. We have to carry our patients uphill up to Bahadurkote to access any kind of transport to SDH at Tangdar. Now, this road will lessen our travel time and efforts in a big way. The road project will also help students of these hamlets reach High School at Bahadurkote.”
However, the locals have appealed to the Tehsil and District Administration to ensure that this road project is completed as per the approved DPR, up to the last unconnected hamlet, Dabar, at the earliest.
