From Bollywood’s Footpath to Baramulla’s Ditches | Rainwater ditches, potholes take sheen off Emraan Hashmi’s film shoot

Baramulla, Apr 21:  Emraan Hashmi, who made his Bollywood debut ‘Footpath’ in 2003, was on Sunday greeted with ditches in old town Baramulla where he had to wade through recently collected rainwater.

The Bollywood star, Emraan Hashmi spent his full day at old town Baramulla shooting of his upcoming ‘Ground Zero’.

As the news about the shooting of a film spread in the area, people assembled in the inner lanes of the old town to have a glimpse of the film star.

However, the Bollywood star had to face a tough time while walking on the road as he had to wade through recently collected rainwater.

The rainwater had accumulated as the road had developed potholes due to a lack of maintenance by the concerned department.

In a video, Emraan Hashmi was seen being protected by security to avoid falling into the potholes as he was preparing for the shoot.

Even if the area transformed into a festive setting bringing joy to the younger ones witnessing the shooting of the movie, at the same time, the potholes and ditches developed on the road played a spoilsport.

The locals lamented that bringing Bollywood to the town was worth cherishing but the authorities should also shift their focus towards providing basic amenities.

“The situation of the road is not bad only in the town, but the link road connecting Azad Gunj with Khadniyar via the old town is also in shambles. The road was constructed some years ago and is craving for maintenance by the concerned authorities,” said Muhammad Umar, a youngster from the old town Baramulla.

Not only the youth but elderly people also complained about the official apathy in terms of the development of the old town Baramulla.

“The road from Azad Gunj to Khadniyar connects four villages with the rest of the town but it has not been maintained for the last five years,” an elderly resident said.

Notably, the road connects Azad Gunj with Hajibal, Drangbal, Jalsheri, and Khadniyar areas.

“Ideally it should take only 10 to 15 minutes to cover the distance from Azad Gunj to Khadniyar but given the bad condition of the road, it takes around an hour to cover the distance,” the locals said.

They said that the road was the only source of connectivity for the people of Khadniyar, Jalsheri, Drangbal and Hajibal with the rest of the town.

“Unfortunately, the concerned authorities have failed to maintain this road which has left the population of old town and other adjoining areas at the receiving end,” the locals said.

They said that while promoting this area for shooting Bollywood movies and other dramas, the authorities should also ensure that basic amenities are provided to the people living on this side of the River Jhelum.

Besides the poor condition of the road, the bridge which acts as the only source of connectivity for people of Khadniyar has been damaged due to the recent rainfall across Kashmir.

“One pillar of the bridge has got damaged post rainfall and if the issue won't be addressed on priority, any untoward incident can happen here and will cut off our village from the rest of the town,” said Arshad, a resident of Khadniyar village.

The locals urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and the district administration of Baramulla for their intervention in the matter.