Waseem Ahmad
Srinagar, Jan 7: The construction work of a bridge over River Jhelum at Shalteng area of Srinagar awaits completion for more than nine years since the work on it was started.
The 193 meters long bridge which would connect Goripora and Palapora area on the outskirts of the city with Srinagar-Baramulla highway was started in November 2008 and has missed several deadlines.
As per the Jammu and Kashmir Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) officials, the administrative approval for the bridge was 148 meters long but the addition of two more spans of 45 meters delayed the construction of the bridge.
“The cost for the construction of the bridge was revised thrice as we added two more spans to the bridge. Besides, the proposal for the bridge was one-way but it was changed to two-way. That were the main reasons for the delay in the project,” they added.
The JKPCC officials also blamed the 2014 devastating floods and 2016 unrest in the Valley for the delay in the construction of the bridge.
An official at the JKPCC said that the lackadaisical approach of successive Governments also delayed the construction. “The unwillingness on the part of the Government to complete the projects initiated by their predecessors was also the reason behind delay in the completion of the project,” he said
The JKPCC officials said the proposed 148 meters of the bridge is complete and only added 45 meters are pending. They said that the bridge is being constructed with a revised estimated cost of Rs 1679.78 lakhs.
However, the JKPCC officials expressed hope that the construction work would be completed at the end of April this year. “The work on the additional 45 meters is in full swing and it will be ready by the end of April this year,” he added
Meanwhile, the residents of Goripora and Palapora have to face immense hardships in absence of a motorable bridge in the area.
“We were very happy when the work on the bridge was started as it was the lone motorable bridge that would connect us with the Srinagar-Baramulla highway via Shalteng. But nine years had passed and the bridge is still incomplete,” Sameer Ahmad, a resident of Goripora said.
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