Uri’s Garkote residents seek axing of Chinar tree for restoration of HMV traffic

Uri, June 28: Residents of Garkote village of Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district have urged the authorities to remove a chinar tree in the Lagama area.

A delegation of locals informed Greater Kashmir that the Lagama-Garkote (7-kilometer) road has been impassable for heavy motor vehicles (HMV) and cutting chinar on the stretch will help for smooth movement.

The road has been closed for the last two months due to a portion being washed away by the landslides triggered by heavy rains in the Laguna area.

“We want this chinar tree to be cut at the earliest as we are facing a lot of hardships due to the closure of the road for the heavy vehicles,” said Bashir Bhat, a local.

“Felling of the chinar tree will allow the concerned authorities to widen the road, enabling heavy vehicles to travel on it,” he added. “We met the officials of the SDM office recently and raised the issue of the axing of the chinar tree but nothing has been done to date,” said Manzoor Ahmad, another resident of Garkote village.

Abdul Majeed Naik, a local, said that students were the worst sufferers.

“School buses cannot pass through this junction. We are forced to book the cabs but poor people cannot afford daily cab fare,” he said. Locals including women and elderly people are also facing various hardships due to its closure for the heavy vehicles.

Tehsildar Uri Aashiq Hussain told Greater Kashmir that they have drafted a proposal seeking permission for the axing of the chinar tree.

“We will soon submit this proposal to the Divisional Commissioner office for further action,” he said.