Years on, Chadoora villages crave for better roads

Budgam, Jan 21: The roads in various villages of Chadoora tehsil in Budgam have been in dilapidated condition for years now. The residents in these areas said that despite multiple departments looking after the roads, there is no improvement seen on the ground.

This newspaper received many complaints from the locals in villages of Surasyar, Branwar, Sogam, Hanura, Nowhar, Dadaompora, Mahnoor, Gundi Mawsood, and other areas about the worst condition of roads there.  The locals said that it is hitting essential services in the area and taking a toll on patients.

“In the past many months, there were many emergency patient cases in our villages. We could not make it to the hospital in time due to the bad condition of the roads. Transporting elderly patients and pregnant ladies from our respective villages to health institutions has been very difficult for us. It is also hitting emergency services like ambulances and others on a daily basis. We appeal to authorities to ensure that road projects in our villages are taken up soon so that we don’t have to suffer,” said, Mushtaq Ahmad, a local from Surasyar village of Chadoora.

The locals said that they have taken up the issue with authorities multiple times over the past many years. They said the roads are still in shambles, and they are suffering.

Syed Farhat, a social activist from Chadoora, said that some of the roads are even unfit for vehicles to ply on.

“The road from Chadoora to Surasyar Branwar is in dire need of repairs. The stretch from Chadoora to Hanura and from Hanjura to Branwar is also in shambles. The road's deplorable condition has persisted for years, causing immense difficulties for residents in over a dozen villages in the area,” Farhat said.

They said that some of the roads are managed by the Roads and Buildings (R&B) department and others by Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). They appealed to these authorities to look into the matter.

Asif Khan, Executive Engineer R&B Budgam, said that some of the works are approved in Chadoora, and they will start the work soon.

“The Chadoora-Surasyar main road project is approved. We are only waiting for the PHE department to fix the issue with the pipeline there, and once that is done, we will start the work there. In a month or so, we will send new plans as per approvals, and once we get a go-ahead, we will work on those projects,” Khan said.  The officials of PMGSY did not respond to multiple calls from this reporter.