Shokbaba-Kudara road in shambles, commuters face hardships

SUHAIL RATHER

Bandipora, 11 July: The inordinate delay by the authorities in repairing the 12-kilometer long Shokbaba-Kudara road has put thousands of residents of the villages of Sumlar, Shokbaba, Chuntimulla, Zaban and Kudara to hardships.

The stretch is an important link for these villages. “The recent downpour has washed away the sand and mud on the stretch, leaving the road battered on way to the Bandipora,” the residents said. 
 
 “This vital 12-kilometer long road in this North Kashmir’s Bandipora district are in shambles from the past many years as the government has failed to complete the repair works,” the residents said.
 
“The government recently allotted the repair work of this road to PMGSY, but it failed to complete the work in two years,” locals complained.
 
“The road is connecting many villages to main town Bandipora,” the residents added and mostly it connects so many picnic and tourist spots viz Kudara, Sirender and Sheerasar.

“We approached the concerned authorities many a times, but our repeated pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” they said.

 “The government is playing with our lives by not repairing the road,” said Shazia Malik a resident of Sumlar.

Locals told Kashmir Convener that the 12-kilometers stretch of road from Shokbaba to Kudara is in shambles and dotted with potholes giving trouble to the travelers as it leads to Sheerasar- a famous tourist spot.

They said that the distance that can be covered in half an hour is covered in more than two hours owing to potholes all over the road.
            Aijaz Ahmad a local of the Sumlar village said the road is in deplorable condition and it is painful for us especially school children and patients. 

An official said that the work on chuntimulla stretch is complete and work on next patch is going on. Residents urge the Deputy Commissioner Bandipora to intervene and direct to expedite the work for early completion.