Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Apr 3: It may sound incredible but is a fact that after laying foundation stone twice in last seven years, the State Government has failed to construct a bridge over river Chenab to join Pargwal area with Khour tehsil.
According to sources, former Deputy Chief Minister had laid foundation stone of the bridge twice over river Chenab to link Pargwal area with Khour tehsil. The foundation stone was first time laid at Hamirpur Kona in Pargwal area joining it with Hamirpur Sidh in Khour tehsil and second time upstairs of Hamirpur Kona at Sajjaw, joining it to Inderi in Jourian of Khour tehsil. But much to the discomfiture of a population of over 20, 000 people scattered in 36 villages of Pargwal island, the work on the bridge was never started.
Criticizing the authorities for betrayal, the people of the Pargwal area said that the promise made with them was not fulfilled and they were “befooled by previous regime” after laying foundation stone on the bridge twice whose construction never took place.
The people of Pargwal area are facing many hardships in reaching Khour where all offices including office of SDM and tehsildar are located. To reach Khour the people have to cover a distance of over 50 kilometers from Pargwal while it is hardly a distance of seven to eight kilometers, said Ram Singh a social activist of Pargwal.
He said that during 2008 the foundation stone on the bridge was laid by the then Speaker of State Assembly and MLA Khour, at village Hamirpur Kona in Pargwal area joining it with Hamirpur Sidh in Khour tehsil prior to the Assembly elections in the State. This place was hardly one and half kilometer from International Border (IB). Later the bridge was not constructed, he added.
He said again on the consistent demand of the people the foundation stone on the bridge was laid last year after shifting the site of construction to Sajjaw in Pargwal area to join it with Inderi in Jourian of Khour tehsil. But after the lapse of over eight months the work has not been started over the bridge and the people feel totally cheated, said Manga Ram another social activist of the area.
He said people of Pargwal area for any work in block, tehsil or SDM office at Khour have to first visit Suwa No 1 on Jammu Akhnoor road and then from there they have to board a bus for Khour. This way they have to cover a distance of over 50 kms while with the construction of the bridge at mighty Chenab this distance will be reduced to eight kilometers only, shortening the time and distance for the hapless people of Pargwal area.
However, when contacted Chief Engineer, R&B Hamid Sheikh informed Excelsior that the bridge over river Chenab joining Pargwal with Khour was to be constructed under NABARD for which an amount of Rs 20 crore was sanctioned.
The foundation stone of the bridge was laid at Hamirpur Kona. As the area was near the IB the Army raised objections and they did not permit its construction for security reasons, he added.
He said later the construction of the bridge was shifted to upstream of old site but the span of the bridge at this place is over two and half kilometers. The DPR was framed but it needs hundreds of crores of rupees for construction of bridge at this place.
Sheikh said the Department has a sanctioned amount of Rs 20 crore for the bridge and till the additional amount is not sanctioned by the Government the construction can’t be started.
Moreover, people in Pargwal are also aghast against the Government’s callousness for not constructing a bandh along 15 kilometre long bank of river Chenab which is posing a threat to the standing crops and people living along the bank of river during rainy season when the river is in spate.
Manga Ram said during last year floods hundreds of kanals of land in these 15 kilometre area was washed away due to flash floods of river Chenab.
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