Dilapidated road, defunct drainage pester Gojwara residents
Srinagar, Mar 2: Residents of Gojwara’s Malik Sahib locality in Downtown continue to face persistent problems due to dilapidated road and defunct drainage system.
Locals said the road, which connects several residential clusters to the main thoroughfare and provides access to a nearby school and community hall, has not seen any substantial repair work for years. They said deep potholes, uneven surfaces, and eroded patches have made daily movement difficult, while a failing drainage system has added to residents’ hardships.
“The road is in a miserable state, but the drainage problem has made things much worse. Even light rainfall leads to water stagnation because the drains cannot handle the flow. The surface becomes slippery, and accidents are always a possibility,” said Mehraj ud Din, a local.
Residents said that the drainage pipes running along the link road are decades old and badly damaged in several places. Compounding the problem, many manholes have sunk below road level, which often remain hidden under stagnant water. “Some of the drainage pipes are very old and in bad shape, and the manholes are caved in,” said Rafiq Ahmad, another resident. “People have fallen, and two-wheelers frequently get stuck after passing through these manholes,” he added.
According to locals, bad roads and drainage accelerate the deterioration and create unhygienic conditions.
“Filthy smell and risk of slipping make it extremely uncomfortable for residents, especially children and elderly people,” residents said.
Another resident said the situation becomes even more challenging during evening hours due to poor lighting. “With waterlogged patches, sunken manholes, and broken drains, navigating the road after sunset is risky,” he said,
Locals recalled that even during the winter, despite relatively low precipitation, water collected in damaged drains froze over broken portions of the road, creating hazardous conditions that lingered for months.
When contacted, officials from the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) said that the upgradation of the road is in the pipeline. “The repair and upgradation project has already been processed, and the issue will be taken up soon,” an official said, assuring that the matter is under consideration.
