Dear Editor,
Through the medium of your esteemed daily, I would like to invite the attention of the concerned authorities towards Basohli-Mahanpur link road, which is presently in a dilapidated condition and has turned into a death trap.
30 Km Basohli Mahanpur road link, lifeline for lakhs of souls living in two Tehsils of Basohli and Bani, has always been creating nuisance and discomfort for commuters ever since its construction 30 years back. The link being used by the masses is not worth calling the road in any sense because the entire length of the link is jerky, full of pot holes. There are blind and sharp turns where none can imagine of any untoward incident in the next moment. Due to the narrowness of the road, bind and sharp curbs it is always prone to the fatal accidents due to head on collision between the vehicles or rolling down the road while negotiating the curbs or giving a pass to the vehicles coming from opposite direction. Not to talk of availability of the full breadth of the road, some time its breadth fall short for even one light vehicle due to the non clearance of the debris collected along the road as a result of land slide during the rainy season. At majority of places, the height of road has gone 2 to 3 ft down ground below which causes a great danger for the light vehicles and two wheelers because there is every possibility of falling down from the vehicles while giving a passage to the heavy vehicles coming from opposite direction. Many times the natives had to bear the irreparable losses of the precious lives. The passengers are completely left on the mercy of the god. The matter has many times been brought in the notice of the department through correspondence and the media but nothing solid has been done on grounds. It seems as if the entire PWD department is lost in deep slumber and will wake up only after few lives are lost due to the negligence of the concerned agency. It is funny how VVIPs close their eyes and take this dereliction of officers so lightly when the precious lives of the people are at stake. It is, therefore, requested that the sides below the asphalted roads be filled with the soil, drainage system cleared the sharpness of the curves removed and the debris accumulated on both sides of the road be removed by deploying JCP immediately otherwise this road will be like a Damocles’ sword hanging over the innocent commuters. It is the practice rather an permanent job of the PWD department to give clearances to the roads after the rainy season is over because cores of rupees are placed at the disposal of the department for the purpose every year which are either misused or surrendered due to their negligence. Let the roads become free and safe passages for people and not death traps.
Shiv Kumar Padha,
Basohli.