Asif Malik
Handwara April 04(KNS): Residents of Bakiaker area of Handwara in north Kashmir's Kupwara district are facing numerous difficulties due to the absence of a concrete bridge.
In 2014, flash floods damaged a pillar of the existing bridge, and since then, the locals have been taking a long route via Wadipora to reach Bakiaker.
"Despite repeated requests to the Roads and Buildings department, Handwara division, the authorities have failed to construct a new bridge, causing inconvenience to more than 600 households," the locals told the Kashmir News Service (KNS).
They said that the existing bridge was repaired, but only Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) are allowed to cross it, while Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMVs) are forced to take a longer route.
"In many incidents of fire, the fire tenders could not reach the area in time, resulting in many houses being destroyed," the locals added.
The locals have urged Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene and address their long-pending demand at the earliest.
An official at the Executive Engineer of the Roads and Buildings (R&B) division in Handwara has stated that they are waiting for Financial concurrence and the work will start soon on this bridge(KNS)