RAMKY takes commuters for a ride

As on date—as earlier as well—the road is marked with huge potholes and ditches, making commuters hurl invectives at the company that claims to be a “leader” in infrastructure development.

A ride from Srinagar to Anantnag and Anantnag to Qazgund is beyond bumpy.

The road is dotted with potholes and ditches and is also inundated at several places, causing terrible inconvenience to commuters. Worst hit, according to locals, are patients who are referred from South Kashmir districts to Srinagar.

The RAMKY Infrastructure Ltd (RIL), a Hyderabad-based company executing widening project of Highway 1-A was supposed to complete the work on 68-km Srinagar- Qazigund stretch by June, 2014. However, after missing the set deadline it approached the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) seeking a 12-month extension for completing the vital stretch and the same was granted.

Sources told that widening of Srinagar- Qazigund-Banihal stretch is unlikely to meet another scheduled date of completion due to numerous roadblocks.

“The delay has been primarily due to sluggish pace of work by the concessionaire. But the State government is equally responsible as it did not facilitate the acquisition of land for the project in time,” they said.

This sub-project by NHAI, as per new deadline, is to be completed by June 2015.

The 67-kilometre stretch, unlike other portions of the Highway, is free of topographical and geological disadvantages.

The executing agency was also entrusted with maintenance of the existing road as well, but its condition is pathetic.

“As a part of the contract the firm was supposed to keep the already-existing Highway in proper working condition; however they have failed to take care of the road,” said an official.

The places along the highway including PanthaChowk, Pampore, Lethpora, Barsoo, Awantipora, Charsoo, Sangam, Bijbehara,,Batengoo, Khanabal, Harnag, Wanpoh and Qazigund, are in a pathetic condition.

“The irony is that the road is dotted with potholes and huge ditches even outside the RAMKY headquarters at Lethpora and they are least bothered about the condition of the important road,” said a daily commuter, Saadat Bilal Khaki.

The incessant rains have compounded the problem.

“It is becoming a nightmare to travel on the Highway these days. The road is muddy and inundated at many places making it difficult for vehicles to ply,” said a commuter Shahnawaz Shah.

He said the road is muddy at Lethpora and Barsoo looks like a paddy field.

The pathetic condition of the road is giving tough time to the patients who are referred to Srinagar hospitals from South Kashmir areas.

A doctor said that patients shifted to Srinagar hospitals from South Kashmir in ambulances remain stranded in traffic jams for hours together.

“Many critical patients succumbed on way to Srinagar after they failed to make it to Srinagar hospitals in time,” he said.

“At times they (RAMKY officials) go for only patch work using substandard material than fully blacktopping the existing stretch,” said Bilal Ahmad, a resident of Pampore.

He said even the expanded stretch of road, blacktopped last year, is damaged as the material used for it was also substandard.

“Normally it’s a one-hour drive from Srinagar to Anantnag but it takes even four to cover the distance because of the pathetic road condition,” said a Sumo driver, Mukhtar Ahmad.

Sources in the administration said that the RAMKY officials have been taking the respective district administrations for a ride.

“Repeated directives by the administration, for maintenance of the Highway, have been ignored by the firm,” the sources said.

RAMKY officials refused to comment on the issue.

“I am on leave and can’t comment on the issue,” said Rakesh Kumar, Deputy General Manager (DGM) RAMKY.
No official was available for comment in the RAMKY office.

Project Director NHAI, Vijandar Singh when contacted cited last year’s floods for delay in work and the failure to maintain the existing road.

“The camps set up by the concessionaire RAMKY got damaged due to floods and the stocks also got washed away. So we had to reorganize all the stocks,” said Singh.

He assured that work on the Srinagar-Qazigund stretch will be accomplished by either September or at the most during three month grace period up to December.

On failure of RAMKY to maintain existing road stretch and the pitiable condition of Highway, Singh said, “We are allotting the work for the backtopping of the road at Pampore, Barsoo and Lethpora to Public Works Department (PWD) and Rs 4.3 crore estimate has already been prepared for the same.”

“The repair work of the road will be carried out soon,” Singh assured.

The project was awarded to Ramky Infrastructure Ltd. and Jiangsu Provincial Transportation Engineering Group Co. Ltd, China (JTEG) on Design, Build, Finance, Operation and Transfer (DBFOT) basis, for which the Concession Agreement was signed on October 28, 2010.