Srinagar, June 12 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) senior leader and former minister Ghulam Hassan Mir on Friday censured the government’s laidback approach in revamping the road infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement issued to KNS, Mir said that starting from the decrepit condition of National Highway connecting Kashmir with rest of the country, almost all the major and link roads in both the divisions of J&K are posing unimaginable inconvenience to the commuters.

“Be it urban or rural areas, the condition of roads in Jammu and Kashmir are barely motorable and reflect a lackadaisical attitude of the authorities who seem to be least bothered about the plight of people,” the JKAP leader remarked.

Mir said climatically J&K gets a limited period of few months every year with conducive weather for road laying and macadmaization before the cold weather sets in. “We are already in the month of June and till now there is absolutely no sign of the government getting the dilapidated condition of roads redressed,” he added.

He said that COVID-19 Pandemic may have thwarted the developmental works across the country this time but in J&K, the administration seems to be ready with trivial excuses to conceal its ineptitude and failures almost every year.

“J&K’s businesses are suffering because of the shocking condition of public infrastructure, especially the road networks. Despite liberal funding from the central government, people in J&K suffer because of administrative inertia. The present dispensation under the Lieutenant Governor G.C Murmu should start repair and revamping of the roads that are presently giving a nightmarish experience to the commuters,” he demanded.

The JKAP leader stressed on the administration for optimum utilization of grants under various schemes including PMGSY to recarpet the broken-down inter-district and link roads across all districts in Jammu and Kashmir.

“The J&K government should also pursue with the central road and transport ministry to get the work on Srinagar-Jammu national highway expedited on priority basis. Similarly, construction on tunnels wherever required should be started without any further delay in order to improve connectivity between different regions of J&K,” he demanded (KNS)