Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Feb 8: The work on a grade separator near Lasjan area in the outskirts of the city remains incomplete despite missing multiple deadlines since the project was started in 2011.
The construction company RAMKY infrastructure which has been entrusted with the construction of the overhead bridge has missed another deadline in December last year. The Hyderabad-based company has missed almost three-deadline since the initiation of the construction work in 2011. The bridge was supposed to get completed in 2014, but the company failed to deliver. Subsequently, the second deadline was fixed as July 31, 2016 which was not met.
An official at NHAI told Excelsior that the company got into some financial issues and that affected the pace of work. “Right from the beginning the project faced issues. First, there was an issue of land acquisition, and then there were some operational issues. The company has not been serious with this project”, he said.
A delay in the completion of the grade separator construction at the Junction has put commuters in a spot. They lamented since the traffic from Southern and Northern parts of the valley converge at the point, it is a herculean task to pass the junction. “It is a baffling task to cross this stretch, especially during the peak hours. The commuters are caught in traffic for hours as there is no other alternative arrangement to resolve the issue,” Arshad Ahmad, a local cab driver, said.
Commuters also denounced the slow pace of work on the project, which caused grinding traffic halts during peak hours. “The work is going at snail’s pace. I have seen no headway in the project for the last two-three years. It seems they have abandoned the project,” Nasir Ahmad, a commuter said.
Following the opening of the new alignment of NH44 from Pampore- Lasjan Byepass, an overhead bridge was allotted at an important junction near Lasjan area on the highway. The move was aimed to achieve the grade separation for the smooth flow of traffic. Once complete, the grade separator would ease traffic moving towards Baramulla and Pampore Bypass.
Hemraj Bhagat, Jammu, and Kashmir Regional head for NHAI, told Excelsior that the construction work was suspended due to winter and would start soon, “I hope that the project will get completed by the end of this year,” he said.
Asked about the undue delay in its completion, he said that the last year has been tough for construction work. “The situation that emerged after the abrogation of J&K’s special status and COVID-19 affected the pace of work,” he said.
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