The first-half of the coalition in Jammu and Kashmir saw relaying work of road tops with thick layer of bitumen and stone to make all the roads pot-hole free. Just half the journey has completed by the government. Today road once again resembles its original self woth abandon pot-holes which is a nightmare for any road user. In this direction the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath last year asking officials to work on a war footing to rid all roads in the state of potholes should work as an eye opener for Jammu and Kashmir. The way UP CM has tightened the rope on the lackadaisical government officials J&K government should take a leaf out and provide at least the much needed facilities for the people of the state. The conditions of the roads in Jammu which got the cosmetic and customary ‘black-topping’ immediately after the coalition government assumed charge with most of the MLAs busy in re-laying the roads and nallah. And coming rainy season once again would be a nightmare for the people of Jammu. The whole vicious circle of non-accountability has made the officials immune to the directives of good governance and corruption looms large in J&K’s bubunagri. The sad picture of neglect is the rural roads which have only pot-holes and nothing else. Even in Jammu city some of the inner roads and lanes are the true picture of widespread corruption and government neglect. Road users are left with the discretion of using it or not. Because of the delay in repair of roads, the commuters have no other option but to avoid them in order to keep their vehicles free from developing any faults. The dilapidated conditions of most of the interior roads including some of the major ones for quite some time deflates the declaration since poor basic infrastructure can never make a city a ‘dream tourist destination’. While most of the BJP legislators advocate tourism promotion in Jammu region especially in Jammu city but even after assuming power has so far failed to live up to the expectations of the
people as far as better infrastructure was concerned.
