Uri’s Garkote villagers decry delay in construction of boundary walls

Uri, Sep 15: Residents of Garkote village of Uri in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district have sought the construction of boundary walls at Lagama area.

In April, Lagama-Garkote (7-km) road was closed for heavy vehicular movement (HVM) after a portion of road was washed away by the landslides triggered by heavy rains in the Lagama area. It also damaged its boundary walls.

The closure of the road had caused various hardships to the locals of the village, especially patients and students.

On July 30, authorities axed a 100-year-old chinar tree at Lagama area to facilitate the movement of the heavy traffic on the stretch.

A delegation of locals informed Greater Kashmir that the road remains hazardous for travel, particularly for heavy vehicles, due to the absence of boundary walls.

“We urge that the construction of boundary walls be taken up as soon as possible to prevent any potential human losses,” said Bashir Ahmad, a resident of the village.

Faizan Ahmad Khawaja, another local resident, expressed that the axing of the chinar tree has not yielded any benefits. “Heavy vehicles continue to travel along the route with the risks,” he said.

Earlier, Greater Kashmir had reported that an amount of Rs 32 lakhs has been sanctioned to Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) office in Uri for the construction of boundary walls and maintenance of the stretch at Lagama area.

However, an official of the PMGSY department in Uri said, “The work on the construction of boundary walls will commence once the elections are over.”