Srinagar, June 10 : With summer already underway, locals across the Kashmir Valley are expressing growing anger and frustration over the dismal condition of roads, as the government fails to kickstart the annual macadamisation and repair work traditionally carried out during this season.
From Kupwara to Anantnag and Bandipora to Pulwama, people in almost every district are complaining about potholed roads, dusty stretches, and broken pavements, with no machinery or road crews in sight.
“This is the season when we used to see blacktopping work in full swing. But this year, it’s all silence. Not a single patch has been repaired,” said Ghulam Nabi, a shopkeeper from Baramulla. “We have just four workable months left, and still, no action.”
In Budgam, commuters say the roads have become nearly undrivable, resembling craters more than highways. “We are not driving on roads anymore. These are ditches stitched together,” a teacher told the news agency Kashmir News Trust. “Even ambulances struggle to pass through. Is this the development we were promised?”
Locals blame the administration for turning a blind eye to basic infrastructure needs. “It seems the authorities are in deep slumber. Every year they claim macadamisation will be done in time, and every year the promises vanish into thin air.”
In Srinagar’s outskirts and peripheral areas, the situation is equally grim. Roads that were damaged during the winter remain untouched, with no signs of tendering, labor, or machinery.
People have been demanding immediate intervention from higher authorities and transparency regarding the delay in the annual road restoration process. [KNT]
Comment List