BGSBU road in worst condition.People held protest gave 2 days time for repairs.

GNS ONLINE RAJOURI
SHYAM SOOD
RAJOURI APRIL 27:—Inhabitants of Danidhar locality led by political and social activists on Wednesday held a mass protest near Santoshi Mata Mandir and blocked Rajouri Town-Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) road for about 3 hours against the dilapidated condition of the road, which is causing huge inconvenience to them.
Seven kilometer stretch of the road is under widening/double laning for the last more than three years.
Protesting locals, BGSBU students/faculty members, complained that the slow work progress has caused big potholes, uneven slopes, etc on the road and it has become a ‘death trap’ for want of repairs.
Protesters raised slogans against Deputy Commissioner (DC), Executive Engineer, PWD and demanded that DC should come and join them to see the worst condition of the road.
As both the DC & Executive Engineer were out of station, Assistant Commissioner Revenue (ACR); AEE, PWD, Tehsildar, SHO rushed to the spot and assured the protesters that the repairing of damaged portions, potholes etc will be started within in the next two days.
Protesters warned the administration to start a large-scale protest on Rajouri-Thanamandi road if the administration failed to start repair work within next two days.
The project for widening (double laning) of BGSBU road was approved after the principal secretary, finance, made the formal announcement and the contractor started work in 2019.
The contractor has spent about Rs 12 crores on this project till date, but he has not received a payment of even single rupees because the project has no administrative approval.
The work on this 7-kilometer road was later approved under the languishing scheme with an estimated cost of Rs 24.90 crore and on June 12, 2019 the then Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Aijaz Asad kick-started work on widening.
But, shockingly even the Governor’s Administration has not given any administrative approval to this project to date and the contractor continues to spend money from his pocket and that is reason the work is going on snail’s pace.
The road presently is in the worst condition and creating many problems for the commuters, students/ faculty of BGSBU, MBBS students living in hostels etc.
For the last more than 8 years PWD (R&B) department has started repairing work on Rajouri-BGSBU road and since then the inhabitants of about three panchayats suffering badly due to bad condition of the road.
“Besides BGSBU students, faculty members, commuters, many delegates from all over India and abroad visit BGSB University to attend workshops, seminars, etc and they were traveling on this important road which creates a bad impression among them about the State Administration,” said a senior resident of Danidhar.
“Several communications have been made to higher authorities during the last few months for administrative approval of this road project and release the funds. Even the contractor liabilities have crossed over 12 crores. We are hoping for a positive response within the next few days,” said Mohd Qasim, AEE, PWD (R&B).Rajouri.