Ramban villagers protest poor road quality

RK Kichlu

Batote, May 20

Villagers of Rajgarh tehsil in Ramban district on Sunday staged a protest against the poor quality of material used in the construction of the 35-km link road from Baghlihar power house to Shamthi.

The road is being constructed under the Phase II of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Hundreds of villagers under the banner of the Road Action Committee, Rajgarh, protested against the contractor concerned and decried the sluggish and substandard quality of material used in the construction of the road.

They alleged that the contractor in connivance with the engineers concerned has been compromising with the quality and even the dimensions (width) of the road.

“During the past six months, the contractor has metalled just a little portion of the road. Not just the material used is of poor quality but at some places, even the width of the road is not proper,” alleged Fulel Singh, Road Action Committee president.

According to a former sarpanch of Rajgarh, Mohammed Shafi, the construction of the road was actually started in 1976 and its earthwork was completed up to Rajgarh in 1984, when the then J&K Transport Minister, Mir Lasjan, had visited the village.

But following a heavy landslide at Thanoli, its construction was stopped until it was resumed under the PMGSY in 2012. However, its first phase from the Baghlihar power house was completed about a year ago.

Meanwhile, local social activist Gagar Singh said the earthwork from Baghlihar power house to Shamthi had been completed, except the 8-km stretch between Top Neel to Banjar. Banjar is 6-km away from Shamthi and half of this stretch is to be constructed by the Ramban administration while the rest by the Doda district administration.