WE THE PEOPLE
Patience of Lalnagar residents has exhausted! Completion of bridge across Doodganga Nallah still a distant dream
They urge Authorities to take cognizance of their miseries, demand speedy execution to ensure connectivity without any further delay
By: Shirjeel Ahmad
Srinagar: No Public utility work is supposed to be taken up for execution until and unless its estimate is prepared, design and plans approved by the competent authority and funds arranged so that it is completed within the stipulated period to avoid cost escalation. But it is alleged that most of the Executing Agencies do not observe these basic norms and the result being delay, which results in extra cost and lot of difficulties to the beneficiaries. This has become visible at Lalnagar, where thousands of residents have been craving for a bridge across Doodganga Nallah since the original one got washed away during floods of 2005. Although the bridge construction work was taken up after this Newspaper came out with series of articles on the issue, yet its completion seems to be a distant dream!
It is worth mentioning that Doodganga Nallah is one of the most unstable and flashy nallahs of Kashmir Valley and it rises and falls quickly, causing damages of high magnitude even in a short span of time. The nallah was in spate year before last year and the bridge, linking Lal Nagar with number of areas on the opposite side, got washed off, and rendering thousands of people incommunicado. Later the concerned Minister visited the spot and ordered reconstruction of the bridge to restore the link between the two densely populated areas. The gesture of the said Minister was widely hailed, but PWD Engineers have gone into deep slumber and so it seems that the completion of the bridge will take long time. Thus a pall of gloom has descended upon thousands of residents, as they see no ray of hope of getting connectivity through in near future. They have sought intervention by the present Head of State so that the work is speeded up under double shift system to ensure their mobility.
Pertinent to state that Kashmir Valley is prone to floods and its history is replete with instances to show the magnitude of losses suffered by the people of Kashmir valley from time to time, but the damages caused by Doodganga floods have always been of a very high magnitude. Doodganga Nallah is quite flashy and goes up and down without any advance notice besides has been hitting hard both sides of the nallah during the last four decades. This was the reason that construction of bridges at several places across the nallah were considered a way out to ensure connectivity of people across the nallah. Such a mode of connectivity has become all the more necessary as boats like river Jehlum and Dal lake are not available in the said Nallah.
“ Since Kashmir valley has been having dense forests, so availability of timber was never a problem. The engineers would prefer to construct timber bridges, but the concept has changed and now concrete and prestressed bridges have gained importance. Hence we had been approaching PWD Engineers to replace the Timber Bridge as it had outlived its utility and had turned a death trap not only for humans, but for animals too. Now technology has given us several options so it is for the Engineers to adopt the one, which is not only durable, but economical too. Now the Engineers have taken-up reconstruction of the bridge at site, but we are not aware of the design and pattern they have chosen for the site. However, we felt thrilled when work was taken up, but have been equally shocked to see that the work has come to a standstill. When it will be completed and thrown to traffic is for the engineers to answer?”, said a group of residents of Lalnagar and its adjoining areas.
Hence people urge Authorities to take cognizance of their miseries, demand speedy execution to ensure connectivity without any further delay. The work needs to be executed under double shift system to ensure its completion. People have suffered a lot so far as they have to detour and take a long route to reach the other side. The Government has already taken-up development works under double and triple shift system so there should be no difficulty if the same method is adopted in the instant case. Whether the Authorities rise to the occasion and mitigate sufferings of the sufferers remains to be seen!
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