Batote -Kishtwar road is called National Highway 1-B. It links two districts of Kishtwar and Doda to the National Highway A-1 and as such to the national grid. It is the main link of Chenab Valley though, of course, it has been cut out of steep mountains, made of solid rocks as well as sand. Engineers are of opinion that it is a very tough and challenging road and its maintenance and upkeep is an uphill task. The fact of the matter is that despite being declared National Highway, it has not received the treatment that it deserved by virtue of that status. In aggregate, this link has not received the attention and care that it deserved or demanded. Actually it has been going through chequered history.
After it was declared National Highway, its maintenance and upkeep were given in the charge of Border Roads Organization, a central government agency. It so happened that BRO did not perform satisfactorily and many complaints were coming about poor condition of the road. As concern was expressed by many quarters about slackness in the maintenance work of this road by BRO, the Central Government through a formal order took away the road from BRO and handed it over to the State Government for maintenance. But within months, the Central Government again changed its mind and handed it over to the newly floated National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. (NHIDC), which is a fully owned company of the Union Ministry. Again within a few months of the latest arrangement, the NHIDCL approached the R&B Department of the State to undertake the maintenance of this National Highway on its behalf and the latter agreed to the proposal.
Now after this tortuous and unplanned exercise, at the end of the day, the said Corporation released a meagre amount of three crore rupees for its maintenance which is almost a joke. The result is that the road remains in a very shabby condition with so many black spots that are almost a death trap for the commuters who travel along this Highway.
The issue has been raised in the Legislative Assembly and the Minister in charge rejected that there are black holes and that the current condition of the road is deplorable. We are surprised to know the reply of the Minister in charge. All that he has done is to defend his position against charges of apathy and carelessness. What the Assembly expected from him was a comprehensive response to all aspects of this Highway which is considered one of the most fatal roads. A number of experts have rejected this Highway as the prime link of the Chenab Valley and have recommended that survey for an alternate road should be made right now. The Minister has not touched upon that aspect nor has he committed to remove the black holes and make journey along this track safe and hassle free. This is the second most important Highway in the State and connects two mountainous districts to the main National Highway. It also provides road link to Chamba and Himachal Pradesh and as such serves as life line to a vast population of Chenab Valley.
We are deeply distressed to know that the Government has neglected this crucial road link at a time when all emphasis is laid on road connectivity in the State and the Prime Minister has more than once said that centuries of backwardness in the hilly State cussed by lack of proper connectivity will be done away with. Yes the Minister in charge did say that a draft plan has been prepared and it will be forwarded to the Union Government for consideration. This is an urgent matter and cannot be left to the labyrinthine of bureaucracy as that will take decades to come to any decision. The Chief Minister should take up the matter with the Central Government on priority basis and find a solution to the problem. Kishtwar has links to Kashmir valley and Bhaderwah has links to Chamba and Himachal. Furthermore Bhaderwah has links with Kathua district also. Keeping the strategic position of the National Highway B-1 in mind, a decision on priority basis is needed for either an alternative to the present road or a foolproof roadworthiness of this Highway. Allowing recurrent road accidents leading to fatalities is a crime against humanity. The issue is not which agency will undertake the project in entirety; the people want that the project should be undertaken without loss of time. Taking away the project from one agency and giving it to another agency and then again taking it away and finding another agency means only passing the buck and that is not going to help.
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