Dug-up roads left unrepaired for months irk Baramulla residents

Baramulla, Nov 9: Residents of Baramulla have expressed strong resentment over the delay in restoring roads dug up for laying optical fibre cables and water pipelines, accusing the concerned departments of negligence and poor coordination.

According to residents, several government departments and telecom companies have carried out trenching and excavation works across various areas of Baramulla town for months, but the damaged road stretches remain unrepaired, causing severe inconvenience to commuters and pedestrians.

“After laying cables or pipes, the roads are left dug up for months. It becomes difficult for vehicles to pass, and pedestrians—especially the elderly and children—face constant risk of accidents,” said Tariq Ahmad, president of the Traders Federation Baramulla.

Bilal Ahmad, a resident of Bowli Kanlibagh, said the broken roads have turned into pothole-filled stretches that get worse with every spell of rain. “It’s not just an eyesore; it’s dangerous. Authorities must restore these patches before any mishap occurs,” he said.

As per rules, any agency—government or private—digging up a road for cable or pipe work must pay a General Restoration (GR) fee to the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department, which is responsible for repairing the damaged portions. However, locals allege that this system exists only on paper.

“Even after the companies pay the restoration charges, the R&B department rarely repairs the damaged portions in time,” said Muhammad Ashraf, a contractor who recently carried out optical fibre cable work for a telecom company. “The restoration cost is assessed and deposited before the work begins. Once that’s done, it becomes the department’s duty to restore the road, but that seldom happens.”

Residents say the problem is widespread across the town, including areas such as Kanlibagh, Dewan Bagh, and Azad Gunj, where several lanes have been dug up multiple times. Poor coordination between executing agencies and the R&B department has only worsened the situation.

“It’s not the digging that bothers us—it’s the inaction afterwards,” said another local. “The administration must ensure that restoration follows immediately after the completion of any cable or pipe work.”

Citizens have now urged the district administration and the R&B Department to take swift action and repair the damaged road sections without further delay. They also demanded that a mechanism be put in place to ensure that no road work is left incomplete for months after excavation.

“Baramulla’s roads have been turned into trenches in the name of development,” said a local trader. “If this is the pace of restoration, people will soon lose faith in the system altogether.”