Doodhpathri Road continues to remain closed after snowfall

Budgam: Dozens of tourist vehicles are returning from Khansahib or Mujpathri on a daily basis for the last three days as the snow bound road leading to the tourist destination of Doodhpathri has not been cleared even after six days.

The locals living around Doodhpathri have criticised the authorities particularly the district administration Budgam for what they called “mismanagement and inefficiency.”.

“ It is now almost a week since we have witnessed heavy snowfall in Kashmir , but unfortunately the Raiyar Doodhpathri Road is still closed. This stretch of around seven kms has not been cleared with the result tourists are not coming to Doodhpathri. This is unfortunate, ” said Ghulam Nabi a local resident of Raiyar village

The Mechanical Engineering Wing has recently sent a dedicated snow cutting machine to Budgam and the same was used to clear Kanidajan -Yusmarg road but the machine has not been sent to Doodhpathri. Some reports say newly procured snow cutting machine Fresia has been damaged at Yusmarg and is under repair with the result it could not be sent to Doodhpathri.

The locals have appealed LG Manoj Sinha , Divisional Commissioner and Commissioner Secretary Tourism to intervene and restore Doodhpathri Road at the earliest.

“The livelihood of locals is at stake and the closure of this road for six consecutive days clearly indicates that the concerned officials is not serious about developing Doodhpathri as a winter tourism destination. We want authorities to allocate a dedicated snow cutting machine to Doodhpathri Development Authority (DDA), ” said Manzoor Ahmad Shah a resident of Khansahib.