Doda-Dessa-Kapran road continues to remain a pipe dream

Anantnag, Oct 8: The construction of the Doda-Dessa-Kapran road continues to remain a pipe dream for thousands of residents despite a Preliminary Project Report (PPR) submitted years ago.

An official told Greater Kashmir that the PPR was prepared some 4 years ago and since then there has been no progress on the project.

The official said that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the road was yet to be prepared.

The crucial road would link Jammu division’s Doda, Ramban, and Kishtiwar districts with south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.

It would prove an arterial thoroughfare and significantly reduce the travel time from Srinagar to Doda.

“It can reduce the distance by at least 90 km,” an official said.

He said that the government had also announced the construction of a 7 km long tunnel near Gayi in Desa over a decade ago.

The road on the Doda side is motorable only up to Manjami village while from the Kashmir side, it is motorable up until Hengipora-Kapran in the Dooru area.

Following a representation by a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Vijay Mohan Thakur, the office of the Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh wrote to the Chairman of the National Highways and Infrastructure Corporation Limited.

However, no considerable headway has been made on the project.

The residents of Doda had launched an agitation for the construction of the Doda-Dessa-Kapran road way back in 1966.

Since then the project remained an issue, though not a priority, for all successive governments.

“From Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah to Ghulam Nabi Azad and Mehbooba Mufti, every government talked about the project but no one took it seriously,” said Khalil Muhammad of Doda.

He said that the arterial link would make the travel not only short but safe as well.

“The construction of the tunnel along the road will turn it into a fair-weather road,” Khalil said.

He said that the road would also help in keeping the perennial accidents at bay.

Another resident said that the road could open up vistas for tourism in the area.

“The area is bestowed with spell-casting beauty. Proper connectivity will turn it into a new destination for tourists and holidaymakers,” a resident said.