GDC Banihal lacks road connectivity, infrastructure

Banihal, Nov 10: Government Degree College (GDC) Banihal in district Ramban, established in 2008, continues to struggle with incomplete infrastructure and lack of road connectivity. The problems is severely impacting hundreds of students and staff of GDC Banihal in Jammu division.

GDC Banihal is located in Bankoot village, 2.5 kilometers from Banihal town on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway and is under construction since 2014. The college lacks permanent road connectivity, playground, canteen and hostel facilities.

Only one building has been completed in past 10 years of college construction, the building is used combined for academic and administrative works. A three-storey under construction building remains incomplete after a two year hiatus due to the financial issues in government construction agency JKPCC (now merged into PWD). Students, particularly girls, face immense hardships due to the absence of a connecting road up to college. Around 300 students and staff embark on a daily arduous pedestrian journey, navigating unsafe paths, rugged terrains, wild animal encounters and threats from anti social elements.

Atif Wani a 1st semester student said, "We face difficulties due to no road connectivity to our college. It is administrative negligence towards our issues unsolved for years now. Our college bus has been halted for years in the college premises."

Rafia Tabasum, a 5th semester student told Greater Kashmir that “Road connectivity is a big issue of GDC Banihal located far away from Banihal town. “Our bus is useless and students are forced to use unsafe paths to reach college. All paths leading to college are unsafe and full of danger for girl students. We fear wild bears and leopards roaming in the area,” she said.

Asia Nabi another student of 5th semester said that "I trek a hill from my home in Checknarwah some 12 kilometers from Banihal town on daily basis to catch a bus to reach Banihal town, then face unsafe paths to reach college constructed in a village. I have been injured several times while walking through uneven foot paths, connecting college with Banihal town." "We fear eve teasers on way to college," said Farhana Iqbal, another student of GDC Banihal.

Touseef Ahmad Bohru another student said their demand is the construction of college road, college canteen, playground and hostel for safe accommodation for girls. “The hostel facility will be a big relief for poor students, who are forced to pay Rs 3000 a month as room rent at Banihal town. He said most of the parents are poor labourers and earning Rs 6, 000 to 7,000 a month.

Principal GDC Banihal Shafiqur Rehman while taking to Greater Kashmir said that the college administration has raised the road connectivity issue with authorities several times. He said Deputy Commissioner Ramban and SDM Banihal assured completion of college road from Srinagar- Jammu National highway near Rattan Bass to GDC Bankoot, very soon.

He said they are hopeful that road and other infrastructure will be completed soon. When contacted Executive Engineer PWD division Banihal Khalid Mehmood Qureshi said that the work on a portion of GDC link road from Srinagar-Jammu National Highway near Rattan Bass and a bridge over Bishlari nalla has been constructed. He said work on link road has been delayed due to the compensation cases of few families near Channar hamlet of Bankoot .

Khalid Mehmood said that the paperwork for the compensation has been completed and in coming days the road construction work will be started from there. He said that once the matter is resolved, the road to the college will be paved and there will be no further delay in its construction.

He said that a three story building of the administrative complex of the GDC Bankoot Banihal has been completed and the electrical fitting and painting work is going on in the final stages.  He said work on several pre fabricated buildings is also going on and boundary wall of college is also in final stage.