Sgr-Qazigund road will be motorable soon: NHAI

In its report filed through Project Director, the NHAI submitted that it has taken up the matter with RAMKY – the executing agency.
Meanwhile, a division bench of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey while hearing the Public Interest Litigation by Civil Society Tral through Advocate G N Shaheen, directed Chief Engineer R&B Kashmir and project head RAMKY to remain present before the court on next date of hearing next week.
The report by the project director underlined that as per the present status, almost 80% of patching work with Granular Sub Base (GSB)/Wet Mix Macadam (WMM) has been done and the works are in progress.
The bituminous works, the report reveals, have been planned subsequently as weather improves and majority of works will be completed by May 31.
Hearing the petition, the High Court had last week directed R&B department to make roads in Kashmir motorable even as it granted week’s time to union government to divulge steps taken for making Srinagar-Jammu highway travel-worthy.
The petitioner seeks to repair the highway from Jammu to Srinagar especially from Banihal to Srinagar and Srinagar to Baramulla. It also seeks to macadamize the existing old NH1A to make it fit for vehicular traffic to the minimum international and national standards for the convenience of general public.
The civil society also seeks directions to the concerned authorities to constitute a team of experts for spot inspection and conduct of survey of NH1A and link roads of Kashmir to assess the gravity of dilapidated condition of the roads.
The committee, the petitioners plead, should be directed to submit a detailed report with complete remedial suggestions in a time-bound manner.
The civil society pleads for fixing liability of maintenance of the existing HH1A from Jammu to Srinagar for the purpose of maintenance and development on a war-footing. It also seeks directions to authorities including the police to take action against the residents involved in directing the flow of sewage water on the roads across the state.
The petitioners plead that Chief Engineers of R&B Kashmir and Jammu should be directed to submit a detailed report of the strength of the road guards and coolies and explain why such employees are paid from the state exchequer when they never work practically to maintain the roads and prevent damages.