Kudara - Jai road going off track to accommodate some influential people

Kudara - Jai road going off track to accommodate some influential people

Yash Khajuria

JAMMU, Apr 21: Despite being highlighted in a news items, the ongoing work on Kudara- Jai road in tehsil Thathri district Doda, is consistently turning towards the wrong alignment as some influential persons are trying to divert it as per their needs, leaving large number of people in shock. 

The work on the 16 km road stretch started at the tenure of Gulam Nabi Azad then Chief Minister under centrally sponsored scheme the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) is still struggling to benefits the inhabitants of the area concerning. 

The sources have alleged that though the first phase of project is completed but the sanction 16 Km stretch was consumed up to Halaran only, overlooked the original survey which was done for a road stretch from Halaran-Joura kalan and then from Jouran Kalan – Jai, in order to make the houses of many influential peoples connected, which has resulted many unnecessary turns to the road at the behest of then R&B minister. Thus the 4km stretch from Halaran to Joura kalan is been illegally ignored. 

Since the work on the said project has been handed over to the PMGSY from R&B Department, when the locals approached to the concerned official of PMGSY they had a strange comical version that the said department has sanctioned a new 12 kms road from Kahara - Joura Khurd road. If this is being constructed, will necessary pass through village Halaran, where already a parallel road from Kahara to Halaran is been constructed which is ludicrous, he added. 

According to the sources, during survey, the road was planned through area in which less forest area was included but the conspiring officials have changed the alignment of the road by showing a wrong estimate to the forest department that only 400 trees will be deforested in that altered route, whereas the changed alignment has deforested more than 15000 trees, even the MLA concerning Mohd. Sharif Nyaz has passed instructions to the executive engineer and AEE, PMGSY to keep villages Budiya and Joura kalan to be Connected but the concerned Engineer PMGSY is deliberately altering the alignment of the Raod from the forest land to make his own town connected to the said road, which has also increased the deforestation, and also increased the length of original road from 15 km to 22 km. 

On this Issue, Social activist, Kuldeep kumar Rao, president, Teahsil Thathri Development front (TTDF) has appealed to the Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Division to form a Special panel of forest department and Survey of PMGSY to inspect the check that whether the violating the norms or not. He alleged that both of the two officials from R&B and PMGSY are misguiding the Locals that there are two roads to be made by the said department. 

He have alleged that, this all misleading task is been done on this behalf that after this road the connecting road to the village Joura Khurd will be considered as central Highway to the adjoining villages, which will deprive a large number inhabitant from those 4 village to be connected with the said road at the cost of only beneficial village Joura Khurd. 

Even though, DC Doda, Farooq Ahmed Khan, is not considering any query and complaint which are being done by the locals at a regular interval, he added.

When contacted DC Doda, Farooq Ahmed Khan, he advocated that the work is been done on the actual survey, and it is not possible to change the alignment of the said Road stretch, stating that after the final survey from the PMGSY nobody have the authority to change the alignment of the Road.