Dear Editor,
A team of Central Committee members of the union toured the area from Jammu to Srinagar through Rajouri and via Thana Mandi to Buflaize and then Mougal Road to Srinagar.
Many deputationists from Rajouri; Thana Mandi and Bufliaze interacted with team members and narrated the story of the so National Highway from Rajouri to Buflaize and from Rajouri to Poonch. Members own experience of the tour speaks a lot of the conditions of this road.
The road is almost broken everywhere. Top surface is totally damaged. There are only ditches on the road. Both sides of the roads need concrete protection walls at many places which have been eroded by rains and by whether conditions. In the absence of the drainage system water flows on the road particularly in the heart of Rajouri city which further damages the road.
The condition of the road is so critical that the persons travelling in the vehicles feel themselves fully tired and physically broken and go in pains. What to talk about the old persons even the pregnant women can not dare to sit in the vehicles to reach the hospitals because of great fear of more troubles.
Residents of the areas during interactions revealed that no Pol. Party like N.C, Congress and PDP which ruled the State cared for this road and the people of this area of Rajouri, Thana Mandi and Poonch are left to suffer and now these political parties are shirking to face the area public.
As narrated this road is very busy for daily to and fro use of vehicles it should have been a permanent look after team for its widening and maintenance.
The residents who interacted with the team members were Gulam Rasool Najar Independent candidate from Rajouri Assembly segment who made National Highway Rajouri to Poonch as one of the election agenda along with Shabir Ahmed, Abdul Kadood, Moulvi Jamil Ahmed and Khalid Ahmed from Rajouri, Mohd. Shakeel, Mohd Alam and Khadin Hussain from Thana Mandi.
Team members of the union who toured the area were Abdul Majid Malik President, Sandokh Chand Jammu Province President, H.D Betab Patron (Resident of Swarn Kot) Mohd. Kabir Qureshi President Distt. Poonch and myself, our experience also revealed the same and on spot visit endorsed the demand of the Rajouri – Poonch people for an immediate repair and black topping of the road from Rajouri to Buflaize via Thana Mandi at the earliest.
The Chief Engineer of PWD is appealed to take up the matter of this road seriously and immediately and do the needful at the earliest so that travelling on this road can become an attractive feature not only for the locals of that area but also for those people who have to go to that area under their own circumstances in the hour of need.
Prof. Kali Dass
Gen. Secretary (AIBCU)
