Residents of Budgam are aghast at the district administration over its failure in improving conditions of the roads in the district. The dilapidated roads, ridden with potholes, are not only causing inconvenience to commuters but pedestrians as well those living in the vicinity of major roads.
“Dadina-Chandpora road is in extremely bad condition,” said Asif Ali, a postgraduate student, who lives in Labertal. “The mud makes it difficult for pedestrians to walk on the roads on rainy days. When it’s sunny, the dust makes it difficult to breath, especially for those who walk by foot and ride two wheelers. The roads are completely in shambles, which is only consuming the time of the commuters and also damaging their vehicles.”
The poor condition of the roads has also increased the time taken on journeys, irking residents. “The bad condition of roads not only gives commuters a tough time but also consumes a lot of time to reach from one place to another” said Mohammad Safder, also a resident of Labertal. “It takes an hour to cover a distance of only 10 minutes in personal transport. Passenger taxis take more than two hour to reach a destination which is just half an hour away otherwise.”
Residents of Parisabad village in Budgam allege that roads in their area have not been macadmised in over a decade. “No work has been done for a decade now,” said 34-year-old Mohammad Yousuf, a local resident. “Our village is just around five kilometers away from the district headquarter of Budgam, the administration seems to have forgotten us.”
Asgar Ali, executive engineer Roads and Buildings Department in Budgam, told The Kashmir Walla that many roads in the district have been approved for macadamization, the work on these approved projects will begin within the next ten days.
