Ganderbal, July 29: Two decades have already passed but no funds were earmarked by the successive governments for construction of a vital bridge over Nallah Sind in Wayil, Ganderbal.
Residents here said that they have been demanding a concrete multilane bridge over Nallah Sind from last two decades.
They said that as of now a makeshift bridge over Nallah Sind connects the vital Srinagar-Leh Highway. “The bridge is very narrow due to which vehicles from the either side have to pass the bridge at one time.”
Towseef, a resident of Wayil Ganderbal said, “We have been demanding construction of a concrete bridge from last two decades but the successive governments have turned a deaf ear towards our genuine demand.”
Locals said that the steel bridge was constructed two decades ago by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) after a 50 year old wooden bridge collapsed during floods. “The bridge is not durable enough. It often requires repairing and in such a situation the traffic is diverted to other routes which cause immense hardships to commuters and pedestrians.”
They further said that during present Amarnath Yatra, the problems of traffic here have aggrieved.
A local resident here said that during last two years the Village Committee Wayil has sent a number of representations to the district administration regarding the construction of the concrete bridge. “They were informed by the authorities that a proposal has been made for the construction of the concrete bridge for which 15 crore rupees have also been proposed, but nothing has happened in this regard so far,” he added.
Meanwhile, the locals have appealed the authorities to address their long pending demand.
When contacted, Syed Sajad Ahmad, Executive Engineer R&B Ganderbal said “A detailed project report (DPR) for the four lane bridge at Wayil has been sent to the government.”
“The work on the bridge will start as soon as we will receive the approval and funds,” he added.
