Bandipora, Oct 12 (KNS): Jammu & Kashmir People's Party (JKPP) chief Sheeban Ashai on Monday demanded immediate construction of bridges at Banyari, Tundpora-Hakbara and Asham in Sumbal division of this north Kashmir district, alleging that stalled development projects have forced thousands of residents to cross the Jhelum on fragile wooden boats "even in the 21st century."
In a statement issued here, Ashai lashed out at what he called the "chronic-criminal neglect" of basic connectivity in Sumbal, terming the situation on the ground a "stark indictment of administrative apathy and broken promises" that puts thousands of lives at daily risk.
The JKPP chief said that in Banyari village, the Jhelum has permanently divided the local community into Banyari Sharqi and Banyari Garbi. The residents — largely fishermen, sand excavators and orchardists — have waited more than fifteen years for a bridge that was assured to them, he said.
"Hundreds of school children are forced to cross the river every day because the middle school stands on one bank and the high school on the other. The river has already claimed multiple lives. Residents can count their dead on their fingers," Ashai said.
He alleged that a boat full of people capsized in full view of a visiting Deputy Commissioner, who immediately ordered construction of a bridge — "yet nothing materialised."
"These are not isolated accidents; they are the predictable consequence of official indifference," he said.
Ashai said the crisis is not confined to Banyari. The vital footbridge that once linked Sumbal's main market with surrounding villages like Nesbal, Safapora, Naninar, Hakbara, Tengpora and Asham was demolished in 2013 after developing cracks, and thirteen years later it remains incomplete even though the project was allotted in 2014.
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In Tundpora-Hakbara, schoolchildren still cross the Jhelum by boat while a detailed project report for a 240-metre bridge estimated to cost over Rs 10 crore "gathers dust," he alleged.
In Asham, residents have long demanded a motorable bridge so that ambulances are not forced into long, life-threatening detours to reach hospitals in Srinagar during medical emergencies, he said.
Referring to the 2024 Srinagar boat-drowning tragedy, Ashai said it should have been a wake-up call for everyone, "but instead the people of Sumbal continue to live under the same threat."
The JKPP "resolutely demands" construction of a permanent bridge at Banyari along with the Sumbal market footbridge on a war footing, he said, urging the government to immediately ensure approval for the 240-metre bridge at Tundpora-Hakbara along with much-needed motorable connectivity in Asham.
"No more lives should be lost to administrative lethargy. Connectivity across the Jhelum is not a luxury; it is a fundamental right of the residents of Sumbal," Ashai said.
He said the party stands firmly with the people of Banyari, Sumbal town, Tundpora-Hakbara, Asham and every other habitation still waiting for safe passage, and will continue to press for these bridges "until they are completed and the daily ordeal of boat crossings ends once and for all." (KNS)
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