As many as 14 long years have passed since the project of the construction of 28 kilometer stretch of road between Bandipora and Lolab in North Kashmir was started but the same is still incomplete. The work on the road started in 2007 at a cost of Rs.1.48 crore and somehow by fits and starts the work could be dragged on up to 2016 when the Forest Department objected to the construction of the road by claiming that the project, when completed, would affect the Forest cover. That resulted in total stoppage of further work on it to the detriment of the local people. The question is whether prior NOC was obtained from the Forest Department , if not – why ? However, a proposal to resolve the problem through constructing a tunnel connecting Anderbugh Lolab and Chechinar Bandipora thought to be the only alternative and to see the project got completed, has till date not been approved hence the fate of the project continues to hang in balance. We urge the authorities to peruse the detailed project report submitted for the purpose and accord sanction to it if found technically and otherwise feasible. Whatever amount of money so far has been spent on the project irrespective of its present fate needs to be saved by taking the project further from where it got stopped.
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