BGSB University road in worst condition, people held protest ; Contractor stop the construction due to 12 crores Liability in this work.

GNSONLINE RAJOURI
SHYAM SOOD

RAJOURI, AUGUST 05:— Inhabitants of the Danidhar area of Rajouri Township, led by political and social activists, on Friday, organised a mass protest near Santoshi Mata Mandir and blocked Rajouri town-Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) for about 3 hours against the worst condition of the road.
The protesters alleged that the big potholes and uneven surface, not only causing inconvenience to the pedestrians, but also causing huge losses to vehicles also.
It is pertinent to mention here that this about 7.5 Km road is very important road & popularly known as BGSBU road which; besides students, faculty, is also used by dignitaries from across the country & abroad and posing a bad picture among them.
Presently, 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.
Recent torrential rains have also damaged the road badly and most of the vehicles plying on this road getting damaged.
Protesters raised slogans against the Deputy Commissioner, Executive Engineer PWD (R&B), and were demanding that the DC should visit them and listen to their problems and assure early completion of the construction work.
The DC, VIkas Kundal rushed Executive Engineer, AEE & JE to talk to pacify the protesters.
After a long discussion, it was decided to direct the contractor to start repairing work of the damaged stretches from today only to provide immediate succor to people’s problems.
Protesters warned the administration to start a large-scale protest on Rajouri-Thanamandi road if the administration failed to repair the damaged stretches within the 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 more than Rs 12 crores on this project till date, but he has not received a payment of even a single rupee 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 the reason that the work is going at a snail’s pace.
“The Administrative Committee has approved the project (about Rs 26 crores) and the project has been sent to Administrative Council for final approval. It is hoped that within next 2-3 days the final approval will be accorded and the work will start in full swing” said Executive Engineer, PWD (R&B).