What can explain Public Works Department Minister Altaf Bhukari asking PWD to stop the ongoing mecadamisation work going on in Jammu. Or is that Kashmir only has the prerogative of getting things first and then Jammu? Whatever be the logic the decision of the minister stinks of decaying regionalism. Is he a State minister or minister of PWD Kashmir? What the PWD Minister should have done before issuing such an order was to take a ride across Jammu City and the region to know the state of roads. Why go that far, just in front of the Secretariat there is a big ditch opposite the entrance gate which can turn fatal for any motorist. Move little away towards Kachi Chawni crossing, the stretch of road passing in front of the Women’s College is a death trap with pits such deep as the wheel of a vehicle can be adjusted. All these and many other roads talk of government apathy. Probably the current order of the minister could be due to the fact that the government is in Srinagar and no VIP should face a bumpy ride while managing the governance and Jammu can wait for the Sarkar to move in to get better roads. Good roads are a fundamental right of every citizen and Governments, State and Central, are bound to provide pothole-free roads under the right to life and it is the State’s statutory obligation to provide such roads. This has been the landmark judgement of Bombay High Court recently. In Jammu itself within the city limits and in the peripheral areas driving is a nightmare for any road users. Some of the spots are really scary and it tests the driver’s skill how he or she manoeuvers from the area. For the government it looks good roads are no priority except for some VIP areas like Gandhi Nagar where the so-called black topping is much better than some of the city roads which bear heavy traffic onslaught. The work is on at priority so that Sahib Log do not suffer any hardship while commuting on the roads. This is what the government has been advocating about the equal development of the region and good governance.
