Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 1: Commuters traveling on Lasjan- Kadlabal link road on city outskirts are facing extreme hardships as authorities have left the blacktopping midway.
The commuters said out of six kilometers road stretch, the authorities have only blacktopped two to three kilometers which is taking heavy toll on them. “The authorities have macadamized only a small portion of the road which serves no purpose at all. The remaining part of the road is strewn with deep ditches and potholes that can prove fatal. The ditches are so deep that the vehicle can break anytime and put lives of commuters at risk,” said Umar Sharief, a commuter.
Explaining the importance of link road, the commuters said that in peak hours of traffic at Pantha Chowk Bypass, people are forced to take this route and reach the southern parts of the Valley. “With the increase in the number of vehicles the road has become an important diversion to avoid the traffic jam and to save time and energy. However, authorities are turning a blind eye towards the problems people face on the road. The worst suffers are students and patients,” they said.
The residents of around dozen areas including Samerboog, Shaloona, Zoonipora and Lasjan lamented that after a gap of more than six years, the road was blacktopped and they were expecting the complete macadamisation but a half-built road has plunged surrounding neighbourhoods into dismay.
Chief Engineer of Roads and Buildings (R&B), Abdul Hamid Sheikh when contacted said the demands of the people are legitimate but they have to strike a balance between supply and demand to achieve a larger goal. “We have to think about the whole valley and so far we have been successful to reach the places which were earlier left. If for some reason some areas are left, which is unlikely, we will take up the work next year,” he said.
Asked why macadamisation left midway, Sheikh said: “It is impossible for us to cover all the roads of the valley in one year. We are tirelessly working to cater to the demands of the people and whatever has been left this year will be completed in the next year. We are here to serve people and we will try to meet their demands honestly.”
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