Bandipora 26 April (KNS): Puncturing the tall claims of the Government of completing languishing projects, the Bandipora-Lolab Road project is still awaiting completion from the last fourteen years.
 
Official sources told news agency-Kashmir News Service (KNS) that the project was started in 2007 for Rs 1.48 crore, and the earth cutting was done on 5 kms from Binlipora to Ketsen.
Later in 2011 Forest Department raised objections citing lack of clearance by the department.
Official sources further said that after remaining suspended for five years, a preliminary project report for construction of a double-lane tunnel from Chechinar Bandipora to Anderbugh Lolab was submitted by the R&B department to the government in February 2016.

"To avoid loss of forest wealth and to overcome this difficulty, the state government proposed to construct a tunnel from Anderbugh Lolab to Chechinar Bandipora to connect the inhabitants of the two districts and to boost the trade", they added.

"The preliminary project report for construction of the double-lane tunnel has already been submitted to the government in February 2016 by R&B department Bandipora but there has been no headway since then", they said.

Speaking to KNS, residents of Lolab Valley has only a single route through Kupwara for connecting it to the rest of the valley and added that  Lolab to Bandipora via Aloosa will boost economy and connectivity in the area.

"We have to travel 150 kms via Kupwara to reach Srinagar city during a medical emergency. Some of the critical patients get expired on the way while travelling this long-distance", they added.

When KNS contacted Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Pandurang Pole, he said that he will look into the matter and will try his best to do the needful in this regard. (KNS)